WHY PREKITSIA?

Our at-home preeclampsia monitoring device offers advantages to pregnant mothers in allowing them to collect data about their health from the comfort of their home. The dual approach of synthesizing data from urine monitoring the blood pressure allows for further data validation. The wearable blood pressure monitor and enlarged urine cup prioritize user experience and comfort.

One pregnancy health application, called Babyscripts, was released on the market in February 2018. Babyscripts is a “to-do list” that guides patients through gestation periods with practice-specific, provider-approved tasks related to nutrition, exercise, and other behaviors to support a healthy pregnancy. The app also allows OB-GYNs to remotely keep track of their pregnant patient’s progress and health. This project sends each clinic “Mommy Kits,” which involve a FDA-approved WiFi- and Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuff and weight scale. The application directs patients to take their blood pressure and weigh in regularly so that issues such as high blood pressure or excessive weight gain can be identified. The article indicates that “Cases of pre-eclampsia have already been detected earlier with the app’s use” [7].

Prekitsia also allows OB-GYNs to monitor their patients remotely, but with additional data sources from the urine test that can help validate concerns about preeclampsia specifically. The sole use of blood pressure to indicate preeclampsia, as used in this application, can generate false positives. Babyscripts focuses on monitoring general pregnancy health for multiple conditions, while our project specifically screens for preeclampsia. Our project is also aimed at individual consumers rather than clinicians, which can help to grow the customer base outside of individual practices.