Rebooting Infant Pain Care: Using Machine Learning and Skin-to-Skin Contact to Exponentially Improve Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Practice (BabyAIBabyCalm)

July 9, 2026 updated by: Rebecca Pillai Riddell, York University
To address the current limitations related to infant pain assessment in the NICU, our international team of knowledge users and health/natural science/engineering/social science researchers have come together to build a machine learning algorithm that will learn how to discriminate invasive and non-invasive distress. Furthermore, to improve the use of current pain management practices, our team seeks to better understand the developmental mechanisms underlying skin-to-skin contact over time and factors that may influence its efficacy in mitigating pain responses in preterm infants. This is an ongoing naturalistic observational study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Unmanaged pain in hospitalized infants has serious long-term complications. Existing infant pain assessment approaches demonstrate several key flaws (e.g., dependent on human cognitive capacity to simply combine data from multiple indicators into a total pain score, none have passed a critical discriminant validity test, bias introduced from human caregivers). Thus, the complexity of preterm pain assessment necessitates a machine learning approach. Our international team of knowledge users and health/natural science/engineering/social science researchers have come together to build a machine learning algorithm that will learn how to discriminate invasive and non-invasive distress. Furthermore, better understanding how skin-to-skin contact works in caregiver-infant dyads and factors that influence the effectiveness of this pain management strategy is a critical step in improving infant pain care in NICUs. Relatedly, the design and sample of our current study (acute pain paradigm while infant is either in skin-to-skin contact with the birthing parent or in the cot) allows us to not only test the influence of skin-to-skin contact vs. cot on preterm newborn pain responding, but also interrogate potential mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of skin-to-skin contact (i.e., cardiac regulation attunement between caregivers and their infants during the procedure; influence of birthing parent perceived stress given the particularly elevated stress levels of NICU parents). A sample of 400 preterm infants (300 from Mount Sinai Hospital and 100 from University College London Hospital [UCLH]) and their birthing parents (if available) will be followed during a routine painful procedure (heel lance). Pain indicators (facial grimacing [behavioural indicators], heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation levels [physiologic indicators], brain electrical activity) during the painful procedure will be used to train the algorithm to discriminate between different types of distress (pain-related and non-pain related). Heart rate and respiration rate, as well as maternal-reported perceived stress levels, will be collected from the birthing parent to examine factors impacting the effectiveness of skin-to-skin contact.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
400

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.
  • Name: Rebecca Pillai Riddell, PhD
  • Phone Number: ext. 20177 4167362100
  • Email: rpr@yorku.ca

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

6 months to 7 months (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Preterm infants

Description

QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parents of a child currently in the NICU or
  • Health professionals currently working in the NICU.

Exclusion Criteria:

*Participants who cannot communicate fluently in English

QUANTITITATIVE DATA CAPTURE (video, eeg, ecg, RR, SPo2)

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Infants born between 25 0/7 weeks 32 6/7 weeks gestational age
  • Infants who are within 8 weeks postnatal age
  • Infants who are undergoing a routine heel lance

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Infants with congenital malformations
  • Infants receiving analgesics or sedatives at the time of study (aside from sucrose)
  • Infants with history of perinatal hypoxia/ischemia at the time of study
  • Infants with diaper rash or excoriated buttocks
  • Parents who are not fluent in English

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Infants Hospitalized in the NICU
Infants born between 25 0/7 weeks 32 6/7 weeks gestational age, who are within 8 weeks postnatal age, and their caregiver (if available) and/or health professional will be recruited for qualitative interview. Infants will participate in the study either in skin-to-skin contact with the birthing parent or in the cot if the parent is unable to participate. If the baby participates in a skin-to-skin study, they will be transferred from the cot to skin-to-skin following EEG electrode placement and a 10-minute cot baseline recording. Babies will be then exposed to a sham lance and a real lance while in skin-to-skin. For cot studies, babies are kept in the cot for the whole study duration, and thus the sham lance and real lance will be conducted while they are in the cot receiving standard care.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Behavioural Correlate of Distress
Time Frame: NFCS-P coded in 1-5 minute epochs, over 2 hour surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
To be analyzed using machine learning via bedside videography: Facial Grimacing using Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS-P subset; Bucsea et al., 2022, 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002798)
NFCS-P coded in 1-5 minute epochs, over 2 hour surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
Cortical Correlate of Distress
Time Frame: For 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
To be analyzed using machine learning via bedside monitoring: Continuous EEG data capture
For 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
Cardiac Correlates of Distress
Time Frame: Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance)
To be analyzed using machine learning via bedside monitoring: Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability
Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance)
Oxygen Saturation Correlate of Distress
Time Frame: Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
To be analyzed using machine learning via bedside monitoring: amount of oxygen-carrying hemoglobin in the blood relative to the amount of hemoglobin not carrying oxygen
Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)
Respiration Rate Correlate of Distress
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)]
To be analyzed using machine learning via bedside monitoring: Respiratory patterns
[Time Frame: Over 2 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance; approximately 1 hour before to 1 hour after heel lance)]

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Semi-Structured Interview
Time Frame: These interviews are occurring at the beginning of the study and will be qualitatively analyzed. They are not linked to infants whose data we are collecting primary outcomes.
Health Professionals and Caregivers will be asked about their thoughts on using AI for infant pain assessment
These interviews are occurring at the beginning of the study and will be qualitatively analyzed. They are not linked to infants whose data we are collecting primary outcomes.
Birthing Parent Heart Rate and Respiration Rate
Time Frame: [Time Frame: Over 1.5 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance)]
We will measure parent cardiac stress in order to control for the effect of the parent context on infant pain processing. We will collect ECG data with 3 leads and a thin belt for respiration from the CNS monitor.
[Time Frame: Over 1.5 hours surrounding painful procedure (time locked to heel lance)]
Chart review of general health indicators and other NICU experiences (control as potential confounders), such as:
Time Frame: Extracted from participants' medical charts following study completion
  • Gestational age at birth, post menstrual age at study, and postnatal age
  • Birthweight
  • Current weight
  • Sex
  • Birth order
  • Type of delivery and any resuscitation required
  • Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration (APGAR) scores at birth (1 and 5 minutes)
  • SNAP II scores
  • Ventilation requirements
  • Type and time of last feed
  • What indwelling devices are present during the study
  • Area or location of study
  • Diagnoses (active problems in the last 72h and any diagnosis that have now resolved [>72h])
  • Antenatal history
  • Brain imaging (cranial ultrasound)
  • Acute procedure history (type, per day, number of attempts)
  • Amount of skin to skin per day
  • Hours since last skin-breaking procedure & number of skin-breaking procedures in the 48-hours preceding the heel lance
  • Total doses of sucrose & sucrose at time of study
  • Drug classes at time of heel lance
Extracted from participants' medical charts following study completion
Chart Review of Cumulative Painful Procedures
Time Frame: Extracted from participants' medical charts following study completion
We will collect data on the cumulative exposure of painful and/or invasive procedures that the infant experienced since birth. A published tool will be used to calculate total pain burden during their NICU stay (Laudiano-Dray et al., 2020; 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001814).
Extracted from participants' medical charts following study completion
Parent Self-Report Questionnaires
Time Frame: Completed at the beginning of the study while EEG electrodes are being applied to the baby

Four questionnaires will be completed to understand the perspectives and experiences of birthing parents at time of study:

  1. Participant Information Sheet (PIS) - quantifies socio-economic status, ethnic background, and familial characteristics of the sample.
  2. Parental Stress Scale: NICU (PSS:NICU) - measures NICU specific stress
  3. Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR) - measures adult attachment patterns
  4. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) - measures general stress levels
Completed at the beginning of the study while EEG electrodes are being applied to the baby
Detailed documentation of noxious and sham stimulation details: (Control for their influence on infant responses)
Time Frame: Documented following the study completion
  • Time of lance/sham
  • Stimulation site
  • Infant position
  • Exact monitoring measurements taken or failed
  • Sleep/wake states
  • Any cuts visible on the heels (including the other heel not lanced)
  • Maternal position
  • Degree of skin contact
  • Blood test required for the lance and volume
  • Whether heel was squeezed during lance and duration (if applicable)
Documented following the study completion

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
York University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University College London Hospitals
University College, London
MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Rebecca Pillai Riddell, PhD, York University/Mount Sinai Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2020

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 1, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 24, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 11, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 13, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 19-0252-A

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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