title: The Baby Moves prospective cohort study protocol: using a smartphone application with the General Movements Assessment to predict neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2 years for extremely preterm or extremely low birthweight infants.
abstract: Infants born extremely preterm (EP; <28 weeks' gestation) and/or with extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g birth weight) are at increased risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, it is challenging to predict those EP/ELBW infants destined to have long-term neurodevelopmental impairments in order to target early intervention to those in most need. The General Movements Assessment (GMA) in early infancy has high predictive validity for neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants. However, access to a GMA may be limited by geographical constraints and a lack of GMA-trained health professionals. Baby Moves is a smartphone application (app) developed for caregivers to video and upload their infant's general movements to be scored remotely by a certified GMA assessor. The aim of this study is to determine the predictive ability of using the GMA via the Baby Moves app for neurodevelopmental impairment in infants born EP/ELBW.
  
  
  
  This prospective cohort study will recruit infants born EP/ELBW across the state of Victoria, Australia in 2016 and 2017. A control group of normal birth weight (>2500 g birth weight), term-born (≥37 weeks' gestation) infants will also be recruited as a local reference group. Parents will video their infant's general movements at two time points between 3 and 4 months' corrected age using the Baby Moves app. Videos will be scored by certified GMA assessors and classified as normal or abnormal. Parental satisfaction using the Baby Moves app will be assessed via survey. Neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years' corrected age includes developmental delay according to the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III and cerebral palsy diagnosis.
  
  
  
  This study was approved by the Human Research and Ethics Committees at the Royal Children's Hospital, The Royal Women's Hospital, Monash Health and Mercy Health in Melbourne, Australia. Study findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6535-661X
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Spittle
authors.affiliation: Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kwong
authors.affiliation: Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Health Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Research Unit iDN-interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Steiermark, Austria Department of Women's & Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Marschik
authors.affiliation: Research Unit iDN-interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience, Institute of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Steiermark, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Einspieler
authors.affiliation: Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Newborn Research, The Royal Women's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Health Science, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Jly
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheong
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D063731:Mobile Applications; D009068:Movement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D000068997:Smartphone; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods*; D014739:Victoria; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Cerebral Palsy; General Movements Assessments; Smart Phone Application; extremely low birth weight; extremely preterm