Parents can now effortlessly establish a lifelong medical record for their children right from birth, thanks to a collaboration between Ajuda, a personal digital health vault, and the National Metabolomics Platform (NMP) at the Centre for Human Metabolomics at North-West University.
Through this partnership, newborn screening results will be directly uploaded to parents’ secure digital vaults, laying the groundwork for comprehensive health records.
IOL reports that newborn screening has been integral to child healthcare since the early 1960s, occurring typically within three days after birth when a blood sample is taken from the infant’s heel and sent to a laboratory for analysis.
Notably, the NMP is the sole laboratory in South Africa that simultaneously screens for up to 22 medical conditions.
Dr Ilse du Preez, Acting Director at the Centre for Human Metabolomics, said the partnership is about more than just simple data storage: it streamlines the entire newborn screening process while enhancing accessibility and security of medical records, and empowering parents with the crucial information they need on their child’s health journey.
Newborn screening is just the initial phase of health assessments in a child’s early life, and results from these ongoing screenings can also be added to Ajuda, building a robust framework for the child’s healthcare.
The newborn screening tests for various inherited and genetic conditions that may not exhibit immediate symptoms but could lead to severe health complications if left undetected.
Ajuda’s digital health vault serves as a central repository for all health-related documents, allowing parents to store comprehensive medical histories for their children, and minimises the risk of losing vital information crucial for future healthcare decisions.
IOL article – Health companies partner to create secure health records from birth (Open access)
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