With the coronavirus crisis, the practice of teleconsultation explodes. As Anicet Mbida tells in her chronicle innovation of the day, a start-up is implementing a form of "remote monitoring" for pregnant women.
We have talked about it a lot: the number of teleconsultations has exploded in recent weeks. We could even go even further, with the monitoring of pregnant women. They will now be able to do their monitoring at home.
It is as much a question of comfort as it is of congestion in hospitals. At the end of pregnancy, we have to go back and forth to the clinic or hospital for follow-up. Sometimes they can be far from home. At this time, they can also be overloaded. Above all, we risk being exposed to viruses.
Hence the idea of doing this remote monitoring, quietly at home, on your sofa. We put on a special belt with several sensors. They will record the baby's movements, his heartbeats, those of his mother and send everything, in real time, to the gynecologist or the attending physician.
How does it work, do you buy the belt yourself or is it supplied by the doctor?
No, it is the doctor who provides it, who explains how to use it and who plans the sessions. It therefore remains a classic meeting, except that it is done remotely and there is no need to travel.
In some cases, the mother may be asked to take readings herself outside of appointments. This will allow more precise monitoring of pregnancies at risk, and more easily detect certain cases such as high blood pressure or cardiac arrhythmia. But in any case, it will always be supervised by a doctor
It is a belt designed by the Israeli start-up Nuvo Group. She has just received medical approval in the United States and discussions could soon be concluded with the French authorities.