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Transforming pediatric healthcare with digital health solutions

Guest Editors

John Martin O’Donoghue, PhD, University College Cork, Ireland
Giuseppina Sgandurra, PhD, University of Pisa, Italy


BMC Pediatrics welcomed submissions to our Collection on Transforming pediatric healthcare with digital health solutions. The advancement and maturity of various digital technologies offer new opportunities to improve access, quality, and efficiency of pediatric healthcare. Digital health innovations have the potential to transform how pediatricians deliver care and how families manage their children's health, as well as contribute to the development of resilient infrastructure for modern healthcare systems. 

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

Meet the Guest Editors

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John Martin O’Donoghue, PhD, University College Cork, Ireland 

Dr John O’Donoghue is an expert in mHealth and eHealth, focusing on both developed and developing countries. With a background in software engineering, Dr O’Donoghue leverages digital technology to transform global healthcare. His research includes implementing mobile health solutions and electronic health systems to enhance patient care and streamline services. As a health informatics specialist, Dr O’Donoghue analyses complex data to support evidence-based practices and policy development. His work spans developing accessible health apps, integrating AI, diagnostics, and promoting digital health literacy, aiming to bridge the technological divide and improve healthcare equity worldwide.
 

Giuseppina Sgandurra, Phd, University of Pisa, Italy

Dr Giuseppina Sgandurra is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa and the Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris (FSM). Since 2019, she is the head of INNOVATE (INNOVATivE technologies in neurorehabilitation) Lab at FSM, a multiprofessional work lab composed of physicians, motor and speech therapists, psychologists, and engineers. Dr Sgandurra is PI/CoPI of many national and international projects thanks to her strong expertise in elaborating new clinical and technological approaches for diagnosis and treatment of infants and children with motor developmental disorders. She is also skilled in the personalization of assessment and rehabilitation, including tele-rehabilitation. 

About the Collection

BMC Pediatrics welcomed submissions to our Collection on Transforming pediatric healthcare with digital health solutions.

This collection aimed to explore the practical synergies of digital technologies and pediatric healthcare, covering a wide range of topics including but are not limited to:

  • Telemedicine and virtual care, such as teleconsultations, teletherapy, and remote patient visits via videoconferencing
  • Mobile health applications addressing various health concerns including chronic diseases, mental health disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders,  and preventive pediatric health care
  • Wearable devices and remote monitoring that allow tracking children's health parameters, including vital signs, physical activity, sleep patterns, medication adherence, etc.
  • The role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the care of pediatric health and well-being, such as predictive analytics, decision support systems, and personalized treatment recommendations
  • Digital health literacy and strategies for promoting digital health education and awareness
  • Multistakeholder approach in the development and use of pediatric digital health
  • Integration and/or assessment of Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as part of digital health solutions
  • Health challenges during digital health service implementation for pediatricians, parents, carers, and patients
  • Effective data management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to support privacy, security, and ethics
  • Development and/or assessment of real-time data visualization solutions to support real-time and/or offline decision making

The advancement and maturity of various digital technologies offer new opportunities to improve access, quality, and efficiency of pediatric healthcare. Digital health innovations have the potential to transform how pediatricians deliver care and how families manage their children's health, as well as contribute to the development of resilient infrastructure for modern healthcare systems. 

This collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. 

Image credit: © irena_geo / Stock.adobe.com

  1. Parents of children with a health condition experience high levels of distress which can have long-term impact on the child and parent. Dyadic interventions have the potential to decrease this distress, howeve...

    Authors: Alicia Kilfoy, Isabella Zaffino, Enoch McAtee, Prabdeep Panesar, Kristin Cleverley, Quynh Pham, Charlene H. Chu and Lindsay Jibb
    Citation: BMC Pediatrics 2025 25:372
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Turner syndrome (TS) is one of the important causes of short stature in girls, but there are cases of misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis in clinical practice. Our aim is to analyze the hand skeletal characteris...

    Authors: Yirou Wang, Yumo Wang, Feihan Hu, Liqi Zhou, Yu Ding, Chen Guo, Yao Chen, Yabin Hu, Shijian Liu and Xiumin Wang
    Citation: BMC Pediatrics 2025 25:177
    Content type: Research Published on:

  3. Residual speech sound disorder (RSSD) is a high-prevalence condition that negatively impacts social and academic participation. Telepractice service delivery has the potential to expand access to technology-en...

    Authors: Tara McAllister, Jonathan L. Preston, Elaine R. Hitchcock, Nina R. Benway and Jennifer Hill
    Citation: BMC Pediatrics 2025 25:65
    Content type: Study Protocol Published on: