News from our partners: Smartphone app to help pregnant women with gestational diabetes

News from our partners Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH)

Pregnant women with gestational diabetes in Shropshire will soon be able to manage their condition remotely by using a smartphone app.

The app will be used by SaTH from December 2018, and means that women will be able to better manage their condition, and potentially reduce the number of visits they need to make to hospital.

Mums-to-be will be able to download the app which will connect to their blood glucose monitor and automatically collect their readings in real time.

Their data will then be uploaded to a secure website to be reviewed by the midwifery team at SaTH, who will be immediately alerted if any reading is abnormal.

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy. It occurs if the mum-to-be cannot produce enough insulin – a hormone which helps control blood sugar levels – to meet the extra needs in pregnancy, and it usually disappears after they give birth. Around 350 women that use SaTH’s midwifery service have the condition.

At present, mums-to-be have to use a paper diary to record their blood sugar levels, and make frequent visits to hospital clinics.

As well as electronically recording data, the app will further improve communication, allowing mums-to-be and the healthcare team to message each other directly. The app also provides dietary advice information from the NHS for those with gestational diabetes.

Claire Eagleton, Maternity Outpatients Manager at SaTH, said:

“The app will allow women with gestational diabetes to track their progress in a more convenient and accurate way, potentially reducing the number of visits they need to make to clinic. It will also immediately alert us if there are any abnormal blood sugar readings, so we can support our mums-to-be.

“We want every mum-to-be using our services to have the best experience possible, and we hope that the introduction of this app will help those with gestational diabetes to manage their condition more easily.”