UT Physicians is expanding access to a nationally approved prenatal app that allows obstetricians to remotely monitor their pregnant patients’ progress and health. Following an initial pilot program, the app will now be available to all UT Physicians obstetric patients.
“Most of our patients are using online platforms now throughout their pregnancy using social media and apps on their phones,” said Brian Heaps, M.D., obstetrician at UT Physicians Women’s Center – Sugar Land and assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). “Incorporating an app that uses information approved by ACOG is a great way to combine the usefulness of current technology with accurate and local information about our clinical practice and the hospital. It gives us another way to provide the best care to our patients during their pregnancies.”
The technology is designed to improve patient compliance with prenatal care, educate patients about pregnancy, provide easier communication with physicians and allow physicians to remotely monitor patients’ weight and blood pressure.
The Babyscripts™ mobile app is designed to improve the quality of pregnancy care beyond office visits. During the initial pilot program, the Houston area was hit by Hurricane Harvey, which was a critical time to provide additional support and information to expectant mothers.
UT Physicians obstetricians, in addition to the Babyscripts team, were able to leverage the real-time communication ability of the program to push out important information to patients during the disaster. Over the course of three days, patient engagement in the mobile app increased 430 percent, driven by multiple sessions per day.
“Expanding pregnancy resources for our patients with the addition of a customized app enhances the patient experience with evidence-based information available at their fingertips,” said Joey England, M.D., maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UT Physicians clinics and an assistant professor at McGovern Medical School. “We wanted to offer a modern tool to improve access to care and patient satisfaction. It has provided helpful knowledge to them during their pregnancy, often inspiring additional questions during their office visit.”
If you are a UT Physicians obstetric patient and would like to learn more about the app or download it, speak with your physician at your next appointment.
