Research Outputs
Prediction of 2-Year Cognitive Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants Using Machine Learning Methods
Impaired cognition among preterm infants can be predicted prior to discharge from neonatal care, new joint Irish and Swedish research shows.
- Authors
Andrea K. BoweGordon LightbodyAnthony Staines et al.
- Year
- 2023
- Journal Name
- JAMA
- Category
- Journal Article
- Link to Publication
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2813140
Abstract
Impaired cognition among preterm infants can be predicted prior to discharge from neonatal care, new joint Irish and Swedish research shows.
Each year, 2.2 million infants are born very preterm (VPT), that is, at a gestational age (GA) younger than 32 weeks. Children born very preterm are at risk of cognitive delay which can predict later learning difficulties at school age. It is currently difficult to predict at the individual level which children are most at risk, and which children would benefit most from preventative interventions. Many of the current interventions are highly resource intensive—commencing in the hospital, followed by frequent visits to the families in their homes.
Researchers from the Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research(INFANT) at University College Cork, Ireland and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden examined data from the Swedish Neonatal Quality Registry and used machine learning (AI) to identify the most important risk factors for delayed cognitive development. The data from 1062 very preterm babies, all of whom had been carefully assessed at the age of 2 years, was examined to help develop a predictive model.