Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee have developed ‘SwasthGarbh’ smartphone app for providing antenatal care and real-time medical support to pregnant women.

This can be a vital tool for women in rural areas and those who do not have easy access to doctors. This is the first pregnancy app that provides instantaneous access to doctor’s advice and is clinically endorsed as well as credible.

The app has been developed in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Both patients and doctors can avail the benefits of the app free of cost as it is available on the Google Play Store.

It assists pregnant women by ensuring timely antenatal care visits, recording every clinical test and improving medication adherence.  

The clinical assessment of 150 patients demonstrated the utility of the app in improving the quality of antenatal care and reducing complications. The patients registered on the app showed a significantly higher number of mean antenatal visits and better compliance with the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. It also helps in better counselling of patients regarding the formulation of birth plans and the management of physiological problems encountered in pregnancy. This is the first pregnancy app that provides real-time medical assistance in case of an emergency.

Image caption- Prof. KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee (R) and Prof. Deepak Sharma, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Roorkee