Sidra Medicine joins global AI study to improve neonatal care

Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has participated in a groundbreaking international study that demonstrated the potential to adapt developed artificial intelligence models to support neonatal care.

The study, published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, highlights a promising approach to improving the accuracy of AI-powered medical imaging in newborns.

The study, titled "Repurposing Adult Radiograph-Trained AI Models in Neonatal Care through Continuous Learning: An International Multicenter Study," included 30 neonatal intensive care units in 20 countries and territories and was conducted as part of Harvard Medical School's Artificial Intelligence for All (MAIDA) initiative, with the aim of exploring ways to adapt existing AI models to meet the medical needs of newborns, while maintaining patient data privacy.

Dr. Khalid Al-Kharzi, Senior Consultant and Program Director of the Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship Program at Sidra Medicine, and one of the researchers involved in the study, said: "Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to support clinical decision-making, but its effectiveness depends on its ability to deliver accurate results to different patient groups, noting that newborns have anatomical characteristics and medical needs that are different from adults, and that technologies developed for adults cannot always meet them.

He explained that the study shows that existing AI models can be adapted to provide better support for neonatal care, which may help doctors evaluate medical images more accurately and detect cases that require medical intervention in a timely manner, noting that Sidra Medicine's participation in this program underscores its commitment to supporting research and innovations that contribute to the development of children's healthcare, both in Qatar and internationally.

Mr. Zafar Iqbal, Director of Medical Imaging Information Systems at Sidra Medicine, and one of the co-authors of the study, said that Sidra Medicine's participation in this international research reflects its commitment to driving medical innovation through collaboration with leading institutions around the world, adding that by contributing medical imaging expertise and data, we support research that seeks to address an important gap in pediatric healthcare. More comprehensive artificial intelligence, which takes into account the specific health needs of children and contributes to improving the quality of care provided to them.

Dr. Abdulsami Shaabani, Head of Radiology at Sidra Medicine, who selected the radiology images used in the study, said, "This study represents an important step towards addressing the shortcomings of AI technologies that were developed primarily based on adult patient data, and its results suggest that continuous learning may provide a practical approach to adapting existing medical imaging models for use in pediatric care, while maintaining the privacy of patient data."

The study, which the researchers used a technique known as "continuous learning", focused on evaluating the position of breathing tubes used to help newborns with critical health conditions breathe, while highlighting the vital role of international cooperation in the development of artificial intelligence applications in the medical field.

The study provides an opportunity for hospitals to contribute to the development of AI models without the need to centralize patient imaging data, and offers a promising approach to enhance the availability, reliability and applicability of these technologies across healthcare institutions, with each institution contributing between 100 and 300 radiology, and Sidra Medicine providing 100 neonatal chest X-rays, after removing all data that might reveal the identity of patients.

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