Digital health and telehealth for pregnancy

Pregnancy complicated with diabetes is a growing health problem which produces adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes that can be avoided by close medical support. The burden related to diabetes in pregnancy can negatively impact a woman's psychological health and jeopardize adherence to prescribed treatments. On the other hand, the high prevalence of diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, which mainly corresponds to gestational diabetes (GDM), constitutes a considerable overload for healthcare professionals (HCPs). The widespread adoption of the Internet of Things, known as the digital revolution, has resulted in the availability of a large variety of wearables and medical devices that could be combined with digital health software to enable close monitoring of biometric data relevant for pregnant women with diabetes. Digital health and telehealth applied to gestational diabetes (GDM) management have obtained promising results with respect to reduction in the frequency of face-to-face visits. This benefit is highly valued by patients and does not affect the quality of glucose control. Conversely, the use of either web-based applications or mobile apps improves patients' engagement in self-care, and according to some studies, reduces mean blood glucose (BG) and hemoglobin A1c (A1C). Some apps have incorporated artificial intelligence tools intended to minimize HCPs' intervention while guaranteeing excellent standards of care.