New app allows parents to test baby for jaundice from home

Singapore – Most parents are familiar with jaundice. Jaundice, which affects 60 percent of full-term babies and up to 80 percent of premature babies, causes a yellowish discoloration of the newborn's skin and eyes.

now, A newly developed app aims to allow parents to easily test their baby for neonatal jaundice from the comfort of their home.

Currently, testing for jaundice involves using a handheld device that emits light to measure the yellow color of the baby's skin, or by taking a blood sample by pricking the child's heel.

The app, called BiliSG, uses machine learning models to accurately determine bilirubin levels in Asian newborns of different ethnicities, both light and dark-skinned, through skin color analysis. Predict.

The app's algorithm analyzes the yellowness of your baby's skin using photos of your baby's forehead, chest, and abdomen with specially designed color-coordinating stickers.

Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced by the natural breakdown of red blood cells, and excess bilirubin causes the yellow tint associated with jaundice.

Jaundice occurs when bilirubin levels in a baby's blood are high because the liver may not be fully developed to remove the pigment.

In most babies, symptoms are mild, and bilirubin levels usually reach safe levels after 2 to 3 weeks of age.

However, early detection and regular monitoring are recommended, as severe jaundice increases the risk of bilirubin entering the brain and causing permanent brain damage.

This can lead to long-term complications such as intellectual disability, motor problems, and developmental delays.

The app was developed by a team at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in collaboration with SingHealth Polyclinic (SHP) and national health technology agency Synapxe.

In a study conducted on approximately 550 infants between November 2023 and June 2024, BiliSG showed similar results to existing methods of neonatal jaundice testing, and the app was able to detect severe jaundice. It was found that all cases of can be detected accurately.

The study results were published in December Published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA Network Open in 2024.

Clinical assistant professor Alvin Ngeow, senior consultant in the department of neonatal and developmental medicine at SGH, pointed out that there are other apps out there. which one We also test for newborn jaundice.

“However, most of them only employ a single reference point, such as the forehead, to determine whether a newborn has jaundice.

“In fact, newborns with jaundice may have varying degrees of yellowness in different parts of their bodies.” added Professor Ngeow is also the principal investigator of this study.

He said these other apps may have been developed in other countries, and babies' skin colors may differ from Singapore's population, which could affect accuracy when used here. He added that there is.

SHP research director Tan Ngiap Chuan, lead author of the study, described the app as a “game changer in infant care”.

“It will change the way parents protect their babies' brain health by closely monitoring their babies for jaundice, in a convenient environment and with the protection and supervision of a primary care physician via telemedicine,” said Clinical Associate Professor Tan. said. Vice Chair of Research for SingHealth-Duke NUS Family Medicine Academic Clinical Programme.

The app has so far been tested on only one smartphone model.

However, more comprehensive testing will be conducted over the next 18 months.

In the meantime, the app will be used to test approximately 2,000 infants, some outside of clinical settings, across a wider range of smartphone models and operating systems, as well as different camera specifications.

The team will also work on enhancements to BiliSG, including expanding the range of skin tones that the app can analyze.

Andy Ta, Chief Data Officer at Synapxe, said: “Although currently in the testing phase, the development of the BiliSG app demonstrates how AI technology can be leveraged to help parents monitor their infants for jaundice from home.” states.

BiliSG is expected to be commercially available within the next two years.

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