Smart technology distinguishes the softest baby cry for nurses Crying detection system optimizes care at Amalia Children's Hospital NICU

At Radboudumc Amalia Children's Hospital, nurses have been able to immediately detect the softest cries of a patient in an incubator since the beginning of this year, thanks to a new detection system that can distinguish a baby's cry from other sounds made by medical equipment in an ICU room.

At the Amalia Children's Hospital, every patient in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) has their own room. This promotes peace and quiet and limits noise pollution. To further optimize care for these patients, a new crying detection system was recently introduced.

Innovative system

This new cry detection system ensures that a nurse immediately hears the first cry of a patient and can take action. The system is linked to the audio capability of the Mobotix camera that is already in use. AI is used to analyze every sound. The system then sends the sound to the nurse's care alarm system, who can then respond immediately and appropriately.

The system is specially trained to recognize cries among all other sounds, such as conversations between caregivers, machines, etc. This makes this system different from a baby monitor, for example.

For babies in incubators, who often weigh less than 700 grams and therefore cry more softly, it is particularly important that crying sounds are detected so that immediate action can be taken to resolve any discomfort as quickly as possible.

Advantages

The advantages of using this system are threefold: parents can rest assured that their baby will receive attention as soon as it is needed; babies receive immediate care (more comfort, less discomfort), which promotes recovery; and nurses can take immediate action at the first cry, further improving the quality of care.

Collaboration

The end result was achieved through close collaboration with Neolook and NICU healthcare professionals. Through continuous testing and improvement, the system was developed into what it is today. We will continue to develop it in the future to ensure optimal care.

IC nurse Neonatology Edith Rademaker explains more about cry detection in the video below. 

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