Pregnancy App is a Hit with Moms-To-Be & Midwives
Babyscripts Partners With MedStar’s Teen Alliance for Prepared Parenting Program for First-of-Its kind Initiative
A new mobile app is changing how expectant mothers are receiving prenatal care at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Midwives at the Hospital Center can now remotely monitor their pregnant patients’ progress and health using the Babyscripts™ app. It’s the first mobile clinical tool that allows the midwives to elevate the prenatal care experience for their maternity patients.
Babyscripts Remotely Monitors Pregnant Patients and Provides Real-time Feedback and Intervention
Mothers enrolled in the program receive weekly educational updates tailored to their gestational period through the mobile app. The moms 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 can call for the mother to come in. These two metrics are important because they could indicate potential complications, such as preeclampsia, a serious condition that causes high blood pressure, kidney damage and other problems.
The combination of home monitoring plus notification of ‘abnormal triggers’ has reduced the number of face-to-face visits, some from 14 to nine prenatal visits, but that can vary depending on the individual. The program is offered to women whose pregnancy is considered low-risk.
“We piloted the app with our patients about a year ago and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. They loved it,” said Loral Patchen, PhD, CNM, director of Midwifery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “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.”
Additionally, Babyscripts will be working with the Hospital Center’s Teen Alliance for Prepared Parenting (TAPP) to provide a technology to promote healthier living and improve the overall well-being of pregnant and parenting youth. This is the first of its kind initiative targeting pregnant teen moms. The Babyscripts Care Navigator modules allows for automated patient education, in the form of daily tips, along with the ability for HIPAA-compliant text messaging between patient and social worker to better engage expectant moms through a secured medium.
Currently, the mobile app is only available to MedStar patients of the Hospital Center’s Midwifery Practice and the TAPP program.
