WebMD has released a new update to its pregnancy tracker application that uses Apple's ResearchKit development framework to quickly and easily survey users.
Version 2.0 of WebMD Pregnancy, launched on March 16 on the App Store, includes the 'Healthy Pregnancy' study based on ResearchKit to "easily and anonymously answer questions and share device data related to their pregnancies with researchers for analysis," according to WebMD.
An app to "better understand the factors that contribute to healthy pregnancies"
According to the notice that WebMD launched yesterday Monday, its new study about pregnancy based on Apple's ResearchKit will ask all users who wish to become participants to share “the use of medications, the vaccines they may have received during pregnancy, pre-existing conditions, blood pressure and weight change, diagnoses during pregnancy. pregnancy and the location of delivery '.
ResearchKit and the iPhone app will also allow participants to share other biometric data including step count and sleep data. What's more, the study will not stop at the time of delivery, but will continue after the moment of birth:
After giving birth, participants will also be asked to share information on other factors, including information on interventions and baby size at birth. In return, the app will provide users with visualizations of their pregnancy data trends, and later, as more data is collected, it will allow users to compare their data with that of other pregnant women who share their traits.
For this pregnancy study, WebMD is working in collaboration with the Scripps Translational Science Institute:
Healthy Pregnancy Study [Healthy pregnancy study]: In collaboration with Scripps Translational Science Institute, WebMD now has a healthy pregnancy study in this app. Using Apple's ResearchKit, Scripps examine pregnant women of different backgrounds in hopes of better understanding the factors that contribute to healthy pregnancies. Participation is voluntary, and all data will be anonymous. By participating, you will help gather larger, more diverse, and more frequent data and produce medical information that will help improve pregnancy for all expectant moms.
The goal of ResearchKit is to collect data that allow progress in health and medical studies, such as, in this case, the conditions that favor a healthy pregnancy. For it, Apple ResearchKit ensures that participation in these types of medical studies is safe, private and accessible. It is not the first time that studies of this type have been carried out, since it has already been used, for example, for the study of asthma.
Other WebMD Pregnancy 2.0 Features
In addition to the inclusion of this study on healthy pregnancies based on Apple's ResearchKit, version 2.0 of the WebMD app also includes these new features:
- Pregnancy AZ: It is a kind of "dictionary" in which to find all kinds of valuable information about pregnancy, from what foods to take to what medicines to avoid or an exhaustive list of prenatal tests, "users can find answers on fundamental health questions".
- Your Pregnancy Week by Week: through a series of interactive illustrations, users will be able to monitor the evolution of the mother's body and her baby.
- Pregnancy Community: it is a space that will allow mothers to communicate with each other, "learn from their experiences and share their joys and apprehensions with an active and supportive community."
- Ask my doctor- A comprehensive list of important questions to help you get the most out of every pregnancy check-up visit.
- Checklists- This is a list of essentials and items selected by WebMD to help prepare for the baby's arrival: From baby clothes to postpartum counseling, users can add notes, set reminders, and create custom lists.
- Contraction timer to "record the duration, frequency, and intensity of contractions."
The WebMD Pregnancy App it's totally free and you can download it directly from the App Store.