Lifecard, the app behind the Digital Babies Platform
Lifecard’s parent company, Global Health, has been working in collaboration with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG), working towards the development of a new mobile application for women known as “Digital Babies.”
Powered by Lifecard Personal Health Record, the project covers streamlining the process and storage of patient consent records and replacing paper records that women carry with them through their pregnancy. These include: Patient Information pamphlets published by RANZCOG, medications, allergies, antenatal observations and measurements.
The pilot rollout will be a limited cohort of RANZCOG member practices in Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Queensland.
ReferralNet, a Secure Message Delivery system for the health industry, is embedded within Lifecard. This allows mother and baby records and referrals to be securely and confidentially shared between the clinical systems used by specialists and Digital Babies.
“The plan is for our members to eventually offer the Digital Babies application to their patients,” said Professor Steve Robson, RANZCOG President. “This will create a unique opportunity for a new generation of babies whose health records and referrals are digital from the beginning of their life.”
Professor Robson outlined that RANZCOG’s patient information pamphlets provide up-to-date information that can be accessed through the ’Digital Babies’ App and can be discussed with the patient’s family and healthcare providers to help the patient make informed decisions about their care.
“Patients feeling well-informed and confident about healthcare decisions is an important part of your healthcare and a key element in the overall quality of their experience during pregnancy and the birth of their child,” said Professor Robson.
“Professional information improves the communication between patient and their healthcare providers and allows the patient to understand more about health, any risk factors involved and treatment options available.”
Mathew Cherian, Global Health Ltd CEO said “It’s time that patients stop being the courier of paper records between their health professionals. This pilot has the potential to digitise the patient journey completely – from GP visit to the multiple encounters with obstetricians, diagnostic imaging, pathology, allied health and eventually the maternity ward of hospitals at the time of delivery.”
