Remote care is more important than ever as the COVID-19 pandemic forces many to stay home, particularly expectant mothers who could put not only their health at risk if exposed to the virus, but also the health of their unborn baby. With help from mobile platform Babyscripts, these patients can limit their need to travel to the doctor’s office, while still having their health monitored.
The app, developed with the help of physicians at The George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates (GW MFA), allows pregnant patients to monitor their blood pressure (BP) through a Bluetooth enabled pressure cuff, as well as record their weight, during pregnancy and following the birth of their baby. That information is tracked by the patients’ physician, who can review the data for any negative health signs.
“With the COVID-19 crisis, we are trying to limit in-person prenatal care visits as much as possible,” said Kathryn Marko, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “The platform and remote BP monitoring facilitates this in a safe way.”
The GW MFA also is using the app’s educational features to push out information on visitor policies for patients who do need to see a physician, as well as labor and delivery updates, added Marko.
Even before the onset of COVID-19, the app proved to be an effective way to decrease doctor’s visits during pregnancy, many of which consist of providing education materials and taking blood pressure, both things that can be done through the app, Marko said.
She added that because of COVID-19, every expectant mother receives access to the app and a BP monitor, and postpartum support has been extended from a previous period of six weeks up to a whole year to help keep mothers at home even after the baby is born.
