Bridging the Gap in Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring: Introduction and Evaluation of an Acoustic-Based Smart Belt for Real-Time, Passive, Mother-Centered Monitoring with Extensive Multicenter Validation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student, Computer Engineering Faculty, Shahab Danesh University, Qom, Iranid.org/

2 Nanotechnology Department, School of Advanced Technologies, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

3 Computer Engineering Faculty, Shahab Danesh University, Qom, Iran,

10.22091/jemsc.2026.15145.1340

Abstract

Fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring facilitates the early detection of pregnancy abnormalities. Current methods, such as cardiotocography (CTG), provide accurate FHR measurements but are neither continuous nor real-time, and require clinical settings. This study presents a smart belt for FHR monitoring utilizing acoustic signal processing without transmitting high-frequency waves. The device is designed for maternal use and features real-time analysis. To evaluate its user-friendliness for mothers and clinical validity endorsed by physicians, questionnaires were administered to 637 individuals and 225 physicians. This follows a multi-year product development and patenting process reported herein. Cronbach's alpha values indicated suitable reliability of the questionnaire items. Results showed that 75.5% of physicians validated the questionnaire data and deemed the recommended usage frequency of the smart belt appropriate at 5-15 times for healthy mothers and 10-15 times for high-risk individuals from fetal heart formation onwards. A decision tree algorithm was employed to identify correlations and relationships among the various variables.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Feli, M., Azimi, I., Sarhaddi, F., Sharifi-Heris, Z., Niela-Vilen, H., Liljeberg, P & Rahmani, A. M. (2024). Preterm birth risk stratification through longitudinal heart rate and HRV monitoring in daily life. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 19896, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-70773-0
Giordano, N., Sbrollini, A., Morettini, M., Rosati, S., Balestra, G., Gambi, E & Burattini, L. (2024). Acquisition Devices for Fetal Phonocardiography: A Scoping Review. Bioengineering, 11(4), 367, https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11040367
Stricker, K., Radan, A. P., & Surbek, D. (2024). Continuous remote home monitoring solutions for mother and fetus: A scoping review. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2024.12.018
Van Den Heuvel, J. F., Ganzevoort, W., De Haan-Jebbink, J. M., van der Ham, D. P., Deurloo, K. L., Seeber, L & Bekker, M. N. (2019). HOspital care versus TELemonitoring in high-risk pregnancy (HOTEL): study protocol for a multicentre non-inferiority randomised controlled trial. BMJ open, 9(10), e031700, (http://dx.doi. org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019- 031700
Barnova, K., Martinek, R., Vilimkova Kahankova, R., Jaros, R., Snasel, V., & Mirjalili, S. (2024). Artificial intelligence and machine learning in electronic fetal monitoring. Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering, 1-32, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11831-023-10055-6
Hajizadeh, K., Vaezi, M., Meedya, S Charandabi, S. M.-A. (2023). Iranian mother's perspectives about aspects and determinants of disrespect and abuse during labor and delivery: a qualitative study. Women’s Health, 63(8), 623–636, https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2023.2250466
Abbaspoor, Z., Amani, A., Afshari, P., & Jafarirad, S. (2020). The effect of education through mobile phone short message service on promoting self‑care in pre‑diabetic pregnant women: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 26(4), 200–206, https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X18791419
Asma Khalil, Smriti Prasad (2022), Screening and prevention of preterm birth in twin pregnancies. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 84, 179-193, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2022.08.008
Mirghafourvand, M., et al. (2020). Pregnant women’s use of online health information: a survey at Al-Zahra Hospital, Ahvaz. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Health, 12(2), 86–93, https://doi.org/10.22122/him.v18i1.4277
Ghobadi, S., Hajizadeh, M., & Nejati, Z. (2018). Women’s satisfaction with maternity clinic services in Tehran: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 6(3), 225–233.
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics