New app helps midwives spot health issues at birth
Published: 3 May 2023 at 13:00
Digital resource provides important information to students and healthcare staff
A new app that will help healthcare practitioners, educators and student midwives screen for health conditions at birth has been launched by a midwifery lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
The Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) programme is a screening undertaken by UK midwives and doctors within 72 hours of the birth of every baby, and again at six weeks by the GP, to identify health conditions that includes problems with the hips, heart and eyes, as well as testes in boys.
Some neonatal conditions, such as congenital cataracts, can be rare and vary in appearance among different ethnic groups, and the app provides photo examples of the how these issues can appear in all babies, minimising the chances of a potential issue being missed, or healthy babies being unnecessarily referred to specialists.
Originally developed as a tool to support the training of student midwives at ARU, the app is now available as an important resource for qualified practitioners worldwide to revise and update their skills.
The “NIPE Textbook in a Pocket” app, which is available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, has been developed by Lindsey Rose of ARU and demonstrates how to conduct the NIPE screening and contains a library of pictorial, audio and written information about health conditions that can occur at birth.
Lindsey, a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at ARU, said:
“This app has been designed to ensure student midwives and healthcare practitioners are armed with all the information they need to be able to competently carry out the NIPE examination, including gaining knowledge about conditions they may not have come across while in clinical placements.”
Studying midwifery at ARU
Lindsey teaches BSc (Hons) Midwifery at ARU in Cambridge, but you can also study with us in Chelmsford and Peterborough.
If you're considering a career in midwifery and would like to learn more about studying a degree course, come along to one of our Open Days. Chat to lecturers and current students, and find out more about the application process.