Technical Tips: The Role of the Charge Neurodiagnostic Technologist.

The purpose of this strategic staffing study was to retrospectively evaluate the impact of the charge neurodiagnostic technologist (NDT) within a 24/7 pediatric NAEC Level IV, ABRET LAB-LTM accredited epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) during a 4-month pilot. The association between a high-reliability organization (HRO), Lean thinking, and organizational strategic goals were utilized as guiding principles. This paper reviews the operational need to further develop frontline neurodiagnostic leadership roles within Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago along with the design and implementation, training, and competencies required.

A comprehensive wireless neurological and cardiopulmonary monitoring platform for pediatrics.

Neurodevelopment in the first 10 years of life is a critical time window during which milestones that define an individual's functional potential are achieved. Comprehensive multimodal neurodevelopmental monitoring is particularly crucial for socioeconomically disadvantaged, marginalized, historically underserved and underrepresented communities as well as medically underserved areas. Solutions designed for use outside the traditional clinical environment represent an opportunity for addressing such health inequalities. In this work, we present an experimental platform, ANNE EEG, which adds 16-channel cerebral activity monitoring to the existing, USA FDA-cleared ANNE wireless monitoring platform which provides continuous electrocardiography, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry, motion, and temperature measurements. The system features low-cost consumables, real-time control and streaming with widely available mobile devices, and fully wearable operation to allow a child to remain in their naturalistic environment. This multi-center pilot study successfully collected ANNE EEG recordings from 91 neonatal and pediatric patients at academic quaternary pediatric care centers and in LMIC settings. We demonstrate the practicality and feasibility to conduct electroencephalography studies with high levels of accuracy, validated via both quantitative and qualitative metrics, compared against gold standard systems. An overwhelming majority of parents surveyed during studies indicated not only an overall preference for the wireless system, but also that its use would improve their children's physical and emotional health. Our findings demonstrate the potential for the ANNE system to perform multimodal monitoring to screen for a variety of neurologic diseases that have the potential to negatively impact neurodevelopment.