Pregnant women across four countries will soon be able to carry their maternity records on their smartphones, thanks to a ground-breaking new app developed by an obstetrician and his wife, a former midwife.
The Pregnancy CAPL (Care Plan) app is a new innovation that will give women ownership of their maternity records and leverage a multitude of technological developments to automatically plan maternity care. Available on Android and iOS, the app has already been adopted in the US, Nigeria, Ghana and a number of hospitals and trusts in the North East of England, where the founders work.
The app is the first and only innovation of its kind that undertakes a comprehensive pregnancy clinical risk assessment and generates guidance approved by experts and tailored to each individual user. With tools including a contraction timer, a birth plan template, and a kick counter, women will be able to record their pregnancy in real-time, which could prove incredibly valuable to doctors, midwives and nurses when they go into labour, or in emergency circumstances.
Dr Paul Ayuk, chief executive of Pregnancy CAPL, and a leading obstetrician, said: “This exciting new app will not only give women control over their maternity records, it will also help to support decision-making by doctors and midwives, enhancing the level of care that pregnant women receive.
“Women can add to their own pregnancy notes whenever they want, noting down anything they think their clinician should know, as well as recording contractions and receiving their very own birth plan template.
“The app is also being used to deliver high-quality decision-support to areas with mobile phone signals but limited medical expertise. This will enhance the care given to pregnant women in places like UCH Ibadan, Nigeria, where the app is being evaluated as a tool to transform maternity care in developing countries.
Early adopters of the technology include The Birthing Centre in New York, USA; University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan in Nigeria; Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana; City Hospital in Sunderland; and South Tyneside Hospital in Newcastle.
The app is also finding fans among expectant mothers. Jayne Powell, from Newcastle, recently gave birth to her fourth child and used the app throughout her pregnancy. She wrote: “Pregnancy CAPL is empowering! It gives you all of the information you need, but wouldn’t necessarily be told. An invaluable pregnancy app.”
- Companies:
- South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust
- South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust
- Pregnancy CAPL
