Preterm birth predicting app could reduce admissions

Research into a new app that can help predict if a woman is going to give birth prematurely could help reduce unnecessary treatment and hospital admissions.

Developed by Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King's College London, the QUiPP app aims to help healthcare professionals identify and treat women who are more likely to give birth prematurely. It is estimated that approximately 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK each year, which leaves them at a higher risk of developing health problems.

The QUiPP app calculates the risk of premature birth using an algorithm that assesses several factors, including a history of previous premature births, a cervical length measurement and level of fetal fibronectin, a glue-like substance that binds the amniotic sac to the lining of the uterus.

The study aims to recruit 580 women over the next 12 months to look at whether the QUiPP app can reduce the number of women with symptoms of threatened preterm labour, most of whom will not actually go on to deliver their babies within seven days, being unnecessarily admitted to hospital and given medical interventions.

Andrew Shennan, consultant obstetrician at Guy's and St Thomas' and Professor of Obstetrics at King's College London, said: “The more accurately we can predict a woman’s risk of preterm birth, the better we can manage a woman's pregnancy to ensure the safest possible birth for her and her baby. It can be difficult for doctors to accurately assess a woman's risk, given that many women who show symptoms of preterm labour do not go on to deliver early.”

Hospitals involved in the research and use of the app now include: St Thomas’ Hospital, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, Croydon Hospital, Frimley Hospital, Kingston Hospital, Lewisham Hospital, Northampton Hospital, University College London Hospital, West Middlesex Hospital, The Whittington Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Woolwich Hospital, The Royal London Hospital and Newham Hospital.