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Tele-Neonatology—an exciting and potentially transformative tool for improving delivery room care

Pediatric Research volume 97, pages 866–867 (2025)Cite this article

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Centralisation of care has allowed high-level neonatal expertise to be readily available to extremely preterm or severely ill infants. This improves outcomes for these babies but means resuscitations in lower acuity centres are less frequent occurrences and maintaining resuscitation skills more challenging. Many infants are born following uncomplicated pregnancies in lower-level centres and even in uncomplicated pregnancies, problems can occur during delivery that necessitate neonatal resuscitation. Neonatal resuscitation can be a complex time-critical intervention that requires expertise, which will not always be immediately available in peripheral hospitals. Telemedical support, or “Tele-Neonatology”, presents a potential solution by providing high-level neonatal expertise within minutes.

Whereas the concept has been described more than 30 years ago in rural Australia, recent technological advances make it nowadays more easily available. Alongside the necessary technical equipment, appropriate training and data collection are crucial to provide evidence for benefit and to exclude potential side effects.

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Reference

  1. Gentle, S. J. et al. Teleneonatal or routine resuscitation in extremely preterm infants: a randomized simulation trial. Pediatr. Res. 97, 222–228 (2025).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neonatology and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Mario Rüdiger

  2. Center for Feto/Neonatal Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

    Mario Rüdiger

  3. Medizinische Universität Wien, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Univ. Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde, Abteilung für Neonatologie, pädiatrische Intensivmedizin und Neuropädiatrie, Vienna, Austria

    Michael Wagner

  4. Neonatal Unit, Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, UK

    Joyce E. O’Shea

Authors
  1. Mario Rüdiger
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  2. Michael Wagner
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  3. Joyce E. O’Shea
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joyce E. O’Shea.

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Competing interests

M.R. is leading a research project that introduces telemedicine into regional care (Innovationsfonds des G-BA—01NVF21103), M.W. has no conflicts of interest, J.O’S. does some consultancy work for Chiesi.

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Rüdiger, M., Wagner, M. & O’Shea, J.E. Tele-Neonatology—an exciting and potentially transformative tool for improving delivery room care. Pediatr Res 97, 866–867 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-03886-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-03886-5

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