NeoPORT: Neonate and Infant Transport Tracker to Reduce Neonatal/Infant Mortality in an LMIC

We propose a system-intervention targeting the critical but neglected process of ‘transport’ of critically ill neonates and infants from basic units to tertiary care centers. Neonatal & infant mortality rates remain high in LMIC. Advanced neonatal ICUs and surgical facilities are few and far-between. Access is further limited by distances, late referrals, poor communication, & logistics of transport, besides financial compulsions. Conditions requiring transport range from basic neonatal problems e.g. prematurity and sepsis, to life threatening congenital lesions (e.g. critical heart disease). Many have unstable hemodynamics and are on mechanical ventilation, ionotropes etc. Yet the actual transport process is often rudimentary, ill-monitored and isolated from clinical needs. Accompaniment by skilled personnel is rarity rather than the rule, and most ambulances are poorly equipped. Lack of clear ongoing communication between the referring, receiving & transporting teams makes the process unpredictable and unsafe. Even basic parameters often remain unmonitored/uncorrected, resulting in poor clinical state at the end of transport, impacting final outcomes. We propose creating a smartphone based communication system interlinking ‘sender’, ‘transporter’ and ‘receiver’ teams on a common data-sharing platform. The system incorporates ‘checklists’ for each team, allowing seamless, real-time communication of vital clinical data between them, ensuring improved vigilance, & safety.