Can home monitoring reduce mortality in infants at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome? A systematic review.

AIM: To conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of home monitoring devices in the prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). METHODS: Systematic literature review to June 30, 2010. RESULTS: Eleven unique studies were identified. Only one of these studies involved a comparison of home monitoring with a control intervention and so could be deemed level I evidence. The remaining studies constituted level III evidence. CONCLUSIONS: There is no high-level evidence that home monitoring may be of use in preventing SIDS; further research is needed.