"Design, Development, and Evaluation of Mobile-Based Intelligent Software for Educating Parents on Care for Premature Infants Discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

"Design, Development, and Evaluation of Mobile-Based Intelligent Software for Educating Parents on Care for Premature Infants Discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

The clinical trial consists of two groups: intervention and control, conducted in parallel, unblinded, randomized fashion, involving 58 parents of premature infants. Randomization will be done using sealed envelopes.

This study conducted from 22 October 2024 to 19 February 2025, spanning 4 months, on parents of premature infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), If consent is obtained, premature infants to participate in the study, parents will be allocated to intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, parents will initially receive training on using a software application, which will then be installed on their smartphones. In the control group, no software will be installed, and routine instructions and reminders will be provided according to current practices.

Inclusion criteria: Parents of premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Imam Reza Hospital who express a willingness to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria include not owning a smartphone and expressing dissatisfaction with participation in the study.

In the intervention group, parents will initially receive training on using a software application, which will then be installed on their smartphones. In the control group, no software will be installed, and routine instructions and reminders will be provided according to current practices.

Parental satisfaction Developmental assessment and Growth Evaluation of necessary actions (ophthalmological examination, hearing screening, vitamin and supplement intake)

Upon discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit, parents of premature infants will be randomly allocated into two groups (intervention and control) using blocked randomization method. Allocation will be performed using sealed envelopes prepared by a research team member. The randomization sequence will be generated using a randomization system (www.randomize.com) designed with blocked randomization. Envelopes will be sealed to ensure that the contents are not visible from the outside. The study's purpose will be explained to eligible individuals, who can choose to pick an envelope, open it, and based on its contents, be assigned to either the intervention or control group. Each envelope will contain the participant's name, surname, age, and mobile number. Participants assigned to the intervention group will initially receive training on software usage, and the software will be installed on their smartphones.