NICU Companion

Name: NICU Companion
Author: Indiana University

Indiana University

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Patients & Caregivers

Free

Download on the App Store

App Summary

NICU Companion is an educational and tracking application for parents of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), offering family stories, equipment information, and logs for care activities. The associated research, a systematic evaluation of 18 mobile apps for NICU parents, found that over two-thirds had credibility issues and less than half were of acceptable quality. The authors concluded that there is a significant need for trustworthy, high-quality apps to help empower and educate parents during their challenging NICU experience.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

NICU Companion is an informational and data-logging tool designed to support parents of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The system delivers pedagogical content on clinical topics, such as respiratory support equipment, and presents experiential narratives from other NICU families. Core functionality includes modules for tracking key infant metrics, including feedings, diaper output, and kangaroo care sessions. The interface facilitates data visualization through charts and allows information to be shared with the infant's clinical care team.

Evidence & Research Context

This app was assessed as part of a 2018 systematic review that evaluated the quality, usability, and credibility of 18 mobile tools for parents of NICU infants.
The review found that, among the apps assessed, less than half (44%) were considered acceptable educational material, with only 39% receiving a "good" overall quality score (MARS).
A primary concern identified in the review was credibility, with 72% of evaluated apps deemed untrustworthy due to factors such as a lack of cited sources or outdated information.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is intended for parents and caregivers as a supplementary educational resource and personal data-tracking tool. Its primary utility is to organize infant health information and provide peer-based support. The system does not provide medical advice or clinical decision support and is not a substitute for direct communication with healthcare professionals.

Studies & Publications

1 publication

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Non-Evaluative Reference

Evaluation of Mobile Apps Targeted to Parents of Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Systematic App Review

Richardson et al. (2018) · JMIR mHealth and uHealth

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

Background: Parents of preterm infants increasingly use their mobile phone to search for health information. In a recent review, websites targeted toward parents with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were found to have poor to moderate quality educational material; however, there is a dearth of literature regarding mobile apps for NICU parents. Objective: This study aimed to identify and evaluate apps targeting parents of infants in the NICU for quality of information, usability, and credibility. Methods: We systematically searched the Apple App Store and Google Play using 49 key terms (eg, "preterm infant") from July 26 to August 18, 2017. English apps targeting NICU parents that cost less than $20 were included. Apps for health care professionals, e-books/magazines, or nonrelevant results were excluded. In total, 3 tools were used for evaluation: Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) to measure quality; Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Materials (PEMAT-AV) to measure the app's content usability; and Trust it or Trash It to measure credibility. Results: The initial search yielded 6579 apps, with 49 apps eligible after title and description screening. In total, 27 apps met the eligibility criteria with 9 apps available in both app stores; of those, the app with the most recent update date was chosen to be included in the analysis. Thus, 18 unique apps were included for final analysis. Using MARS, 7 apps (7/18, 39%) received a good score on overall quality (ie, 4.0 out of 5.0), with none receiving an excellent score. In addition, 8 apps (8/18, 44%) received a PEMAT-AV score between 51% and 75% on the understandability subscale, and 8 apps (8/18, 44%) scored between 76% and 100% on the actionability subscale. Trust It or Trash It deemed 13 apps (13/18, 72%) as trash for reasons including no identification of sources or lack of current information, with only 5 (5/18, 28%) deemed trustworthy. Reviewer's expert evaluation found 16 apps contained content that matched information provided by multiple sources; however, most apps did not meet other objective measurement items to support credibility. When comparing the MARS overall quality and subjective quality scores with trustworthiness of apps, there was no statistically significant difference. A statistically significant difference was found between the 2 MARS quality scores, indicating that, on average, apps were ranked significantly lower on subjective quality compared with overall quality measures. Conclusions: This evaluation revealed that of the available apps targeting NICU parents, less than half should be considered as acceptable educational material. Over two-thirds of the apps were found to have issues regarding credibility and just over a quarter were considered good quality. The apps currently available for NICU parents are lacking and of concern in terms of quality and credibility.