Pregnancy App Reduces Prenatal Visits
Face-to-face visits to the doctor can be hard for expectant mothers especially in the first trimester of pregnancy when morning sickness can be terrible. But a new pregnancy app is making a hit among expectant mother as its reduces these face-to-face visits. Thanks to the ‘Babyscripts’ app, the first first mobile clinical tool that allows midwives to elevate the prenatal care experience for their maternity patients.
Expectant mothers receiving prenatal care at Medstar Washington Hospital Center are benefiting from the wonders of the app. Through the use of the app, midwives can remotely monitor their pregnant patients’ progress and health.
The app is only available to patients of MedStar Washington Hospital Center’s Midwifery Practice and the TAPP program.
How it Works
The amazing pregnancy app gives moms-to-be weekly educational updates suitable to their gestational period through the mobile app. Pregnant women enrolled in the program can also track their weight and blood pressure through a Bluetooth®-enabled blood pressure cuff and weight scale, and the information is sent to their midwife. If the blood pressure or weight gain is too high or considered abnormal, the data is flagged, and the midwife receives the alert and can call the mother to come in. These two metrics can notify midwives of ‘abnormal triggers’ such as preeclampsia, a serious condition that causes high blood pressure, kidney damage and other problems.
Through the use of app, the number of face-to-face visits has reduced. In fact, from the average 14 clinic visits, it has now reduced to nine prenatal visits. The program is offered to women whose pregnancy is considered low-risk.
The outcome of the use of the pregnancy app is commendable. This is confirmed by Loral Patchen, PhD, CNM, director of Midwifery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Patchen said, “We piloted the app with our patients about a year ago and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They loved it.”
Patchen added, “Babyscripts creates additional flexibility within our practice and provides a common bank of knowledge that allows us to personalize care to a greater degree during office visits. And both midwives and mothers appreciate that opportunity.”
