The best pregnancy apps aren’t just for obstetricians and their patients. Many of us in family medicine practice full scope, including obstetrics. It is one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of primary care. And regardless of what scope of obstetrics care you provide, pregnant patients are always looking for reliable information about their pregnancy.

The app store has an overwhelming number of apps for pregnancy. Which ones should we recommend? For years, the Department of Defense/Veteran’s Affairs Pregnancy Guide — the Purple Book — has been my go-to guide for patients. Every OB patient received one at their initial OB intake visit and was encouraged to bring it to each visit. Here on iMedicalApps, we have favorably reviewed the Pregnancy A to Z app (the app version of the Purple Book) as well as other patient-centered pregnancy apps, including Sprout Pregnancy, Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy, My Prognosis Pregnancy, Ilithyia (geared for providers but too good not to mention) and Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar. Most recently, we favorably reviewed Physicians and Midwives Pregnancy Passport. The app contained all of the key content such as patient profiles, journaling, OB stats, kick counters and contraction timers, but with a professional interface.

The latest pregnancy app to come along is called UW Baby. The app is from UW Medicine, Seattle. The app is identical in most ways (same exact content other than the hospitals/providers listed for patient information) as the P&M Passport app. Similar to Sprout Pregnancy and others, UW Baby allows patients to create their own profiles, track visits, journal, track obstetric statistics, and utilize built-in kick counter and contraction timer. In addition, the app allows patients to make appointments, contact their providers and receive reminders — this time UW providers as opposed to Virginia providers in P&M Passport. I suspect we are going to see a lot of practices utilize the content from the company behind both of these apps.

 

Evidence-based medicine

UW Baby presents an abundant amount of educational content for pregnant patients in an easy-to-use app. The content does not contain references but has the stamp of approval of the University of Washington. Since the content is in identical apps it clearly is coming from one common source. The content appears to follow nearly all of ACOG’s and nurse midwife group recommendations and is more “up to date” that the info found in Pregnancy A to Z.

What patients/providers would benefit from this pregnancy app?

Any pregnant patient, providers caring for pregnant patients including students, NP’s, PA’s, midwives, family medicine, and OB/GYN providers.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

  • Price
    • Free
    • Robust educational content for prenatal and postpartum care, covering a wide variety of topics with current, evidence-based information
    • Journal function, patient stats, appointment reminders/portal, videos, contraction timer and kick counter built in
    • Available for both iOS and Android
    • Free
  • Dislikes
    • Many sections of the app use small fonts and cramped text — and identical to another app.
    • Lacks some of the fancy animations compared to some of the competition.
    • App geared to patients enrolled for care in Washington state.
  • Overall

    A great app for pregnant patients with a wealth of information for patients and their providers, all built around a solid evidence base. Although the app is for patients receiving care at several facilities in the Seattle, WA area, the content is so well presented and up to date, that it should be seen by all pregnant patients and providers who perform prenatal care. I plan to recommend this app to my OB patients in addition to Pregnancy A to Z.

  • Overall Score
  • User Interface

    Modern-looking interface that is easy to navigate and clearly geared towards the patients who receive care from UW/Seattle, WA providers featured in the app, but works well for any pregnant patient. Many sections are a bit too dense with text.

  • Multimedia Usage

    Patient stat tracking, export capability, timers/counters, links to the provider practice/patient portal. Slick interface with pictures and videos, but still text heavy.

  • Price

    This pregnancy app is free

  • Real World Applicability

    UW Baby contains a wealth of information for any pregnant patient and is easily recommendable along with our long standing favorite, Pregnancy A to Z. My only concern is who is really behind the app since the content in UW Baby is identical to P&M Passport.

  • Device Used For Review

    iPhone 8 running iOS 11.2.1

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