Nighttime telemedicine and medicine delivery for young children
Official title: Improving Performance of a Pediatric TeleMedicine and Medication Delivery Service through mHealth Technology
Funded at University of Florida · NIH-11360354 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses phone-based telemedicine plus mobile delivery of medicines to help young children with breathing infections or diarrhea get timely care, especially at night.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project start | August 17, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $297,621 |
| NIH project number | 4R33TW012332-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11360354 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are caregivers of children (about 1 month to 5 years old) with symptoms of acute respiratory infection or diarrhea who live in areas served by the MotoMeds telemedicine and delivery program.
✕Less likely to help
Children with severe or life-threatening conditions requiring immediate in-person emergency care, or families who live outside the service area, are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
You would call into a centralized telemedicine call center staffed by clinicians who use mobile health tools and updated decision-support to triage sick children. If the child can be treated at home, the team sends medicines and instructions to the household rather than bringing the child to a clinic. The project builds on MotoMeds work launched in Haiti in 2019 and a 2021 pilot, moving from paper tools toward digital mHealth and AI-supported logistics to improve safety and speed. Researchers will refine the technology and delivery processes to reduce delays and make nighttime care more reliable in resource-limited communities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could get children treated faster at home, reduce complications and deaths from respiratory and diarrheal illness, and improve access to care overnight.
How similar studies have gone: MotoMeds' earlier pre-pilot (2019) and pilot (2021) in Haiti showed feasibility and safety, and telemedicine with home-delivery models elsewhere have improved access though more outcome data are needed.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Florida
Gainesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nelson, Eric Jorge — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Nelson, Eric Jorge
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Improving after-hours pediatric care with a telemedicine and medicine-delivery tool using smart technology
A pediatric telemedicine and medication delivery service is being improved with smart tools to help kids get quick after-hours care, especially when a clinic is closed.
-
Telemedicine to boost heart failure guideline therapy in rural patients
This project tests whether telemedicine can help rural heart failure patients receive the right heart failure medicines and improve health outcomes.
-
Enhanced primary care telemedicine for kids with lung and airway infections
A pediatric-focused telemedicine program is being studied to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use for common respiratory infections in children.
-
Buprenorphine options via telemedicine for people leaving jail
A patient-centered study will let adults leaving Maryland jails choose between two forms of buprenorphine, to be taken remotely with telemedicine and pharmacy support.
-
Teleneonatology: Telemedicine for improving resuscitation of at-risk newborns in community hospitals
A nationwide study tests real-time telemedicine help from neonatologists to support delivery-room care for newborns who struggle to breathe at birth, especially in hospitals without NICUs.
-
Improving after-hours pediatric care with telemedicine and medication delivery using smart tools
A pediatric telemedicine and medication delivery program is being developed to help kids get faster care after hours using an electronic decision tool and a smarter triage system.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.