In paediatrics, respiratory disorders represent the second most common reason for attendance at Emergency Departments (ED) [1, 2] and are a significant global disease burden [3]. Common conditions in childhood include croup, upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), and lower respiratory tract diseases (LRTDs) such as asthma/reactive airway disease (RAD), bronchiolitis, pneumonitis and pneumonia [2, 4]. Lower respiratory tract infections are a significant cause of mortality in children aged under 5 years and a leading cause of disability-adjusted life years lost worldwide [5–7]. Asthma represents the leading cause of non-fatal disease burden in Australian children under age 14 years [8, 9]. The differential diagnosis of respiratory disorders can be challenging even for experienced clinicians with access to diagnostic support services.

A group of Australian researchers have recently developed an AI-powered smartphone app that can diagnose respiratory disorders by "listening" to the user's cough. This technology was developed by researchers at Curtin University and The University of Queensland, Australia, whose findings were published June 6 in the journal Respiratory Research. The researchers created an algorithm that can analyze coughs for features that are unique to five different diseases. This technique is similar to speech recognition technologies in that the software examines the auditory cough for characteristics specific to these conditions. This is typically done by a physician during a clinical exam, with a stethoscope being used to listen to sound produced while breathing or coughing (auscultation). The downside to this is that the patient must be in the presence of a trained professional to have their respiration sounds analyzed.