Apps" are the best way to keep important records of pregnancy, childbirth, and child-rearing from now on! Maternal and Child Health Handbook App."

On the left is Mr. Minato. On the right is Mr. Huang.

(We spoke to...)
NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Smart Life Promotion Department
Manager, Medical Business Section, Healthcare Business
Nobuhiro Minato

NTT DOCOMO, INC.
Smart Life Promotion Department
In charge of Medical Business, Healthcare Business
Mr. Silting Huang

The "app" supports moms and dads with unique features.

Editorial:Could you give us an overview of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application"?

Minato:The "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application" has two major functions. One is a "record function" that allows users to keep records of health checkups, vaccinations, and daily growth, and the other is a "distribution function" that provides useful information on pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing, as well as notices from the local government.

Editorial:So, in addition to the "recording function" fulfilled by the paper MCH handbook, there are various information distribution functions.

Minato:That's right. Incidentally, the "record function" faithfully reproduces the contents of the paper MCH handbook, while adding functions unique to the application. The first advantage of the record function is that the various records are stored on the smartphone itself or in the cloud. This is a good backup in case the paper MCH handbook is lost due to flooding or other reasons.

Ensure a record of regular medical checkups.

Second, recorded height, weight, and other data are automatically displayed in a graph. This allows you to visually experience your child's growth. This graph displays the standard growth curve shown in the paper Maternal and Child Health Handbook, but changes in the weight and height of babies who are born earlier than expected or are born smaller than expected deviate from this standard growth curve. The Maternal and Child Health Handbook application therefore displays changes in the weight and height of babies born small on a "corrected age-appropriate graph" supervised by a doctor, alleviating the anxiety and worry of parents.

The graphing provides a clear picture of the changes in the baby's height.

Of course, in addition to medical checkups, height, weight, and other records, you can also easily record memories such as photos and diaries, as well as "the first things the baby was able to do" using the "done mark" to look back on growth later.

Editorial: Many parents keep a paper-based childcare diary, but this is an app version of that.

Minato:Yes. The function to keep daily memories is named "Growth Diary" in the application menu. And the menu for recording the results of health checkups, etc. is named "Health Checkup Record".

A variety of themes are available to help children grow

Yellow: I also use the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App," and I find it very useful to be able to keep a record of the checkups my child has received at each milestone. Although it is possible to keep records on paper or a notepad on a smartphone, I think the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App" is superior in that I can easily find the record of checkups when I need to.

Easy to find records of immunizations and regular checkups.

Editorial:I remember the other day when I took my daughter to the hospital and was asked about the results of her past regular checkups, and I had trouble answering the question. So if I had used your company's app, I could have answered the question right away. ......

Yellow:As you say, another advantage of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App" is that it allows families to share childcare information. When asked, "Have you had your XXX vaccinations?" the mother may know, but the father often does not. In such cases, the app will allow them to quickly answer, "XX vaccinations are done in XX month.

The Maternal and Child Health Handbook application is a safe, reliable, and convenient way to obtain childcare information!

Minato:Regarding "information distribution," which is another pillar of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application" function, there are three major types of information distribution: "from the application operator," "from the local government," and "from hospitals. The most popular information distributed by us, the app operator, is the "Today's Baby & Child" article. It provides information on the general development of the baby in the belly according to the number of weeks, recipes for recommended meals, and other useful information according to the child's age. All content is supervised by doctors and specialists.

Examples of information delivered by the Maternal and Child Health Handbook application

Today's Baby & Child" is said to be very popular.

Editorial:Other companies have had problems in the past with inaccurate medical information articles posted online in large quantities. ...... It is very important that the information is supervised by a physician.

Minato:In addition to that, there are other services that deliver information from the local government to the moms and dads. By registering "your area of residence" in the application, information from the local government will be sent according to the user's condition. Although this service is limited to municipalities that have a contract with us, some municipalities distribute information such as bathing classes for pre-papas and pre-mamas and baby massage classes for 0-year-olds.

Editorial:Pregnant and parenting moms and dads are often too busy to miss out on information delivered by paper or mail or told to look on a website. This is a really great system for the smartphone generation.

An example of information distribution from a municipality

Minato:Municipalities that have contracted with us are given a pamphlet of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application" when they distribute paper MCH handbooks. Furthermore, when the local government sends the information, the system allows the local government to check how many people have viewed the information. Also, sudden changes in event information due to inclement weather, etc. can be sent immediately.

Echo Image Reference" and "Poop Checkup" unique to the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App".

Editorial:What are some of the unique features of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook application?

Minato:While I believe that similar apps have the "recording" and "distribution" functions I mentioned earlier, as well as the automatic generation of vaccination schedules, I believe that the following two recently added features are unique to other apps. The first one is a function started in March 2019 that allows users to refer to "echo images of the fetus during pregnancy" immediately after the antenatal checkup. Normal echo images are printed on thermal paper, so over time the images get lighter and lighter, and in large quantities they can be very bulky. With this function, the images will not deteriorate over time, and they will not be lost and will be easy to organize as they do not require storage space. This feature is also very popular because it makes it easy for family members to view the images when they return to their parents' home.

Editorial:My wife also keeps a large amount of pregnancy echo images (LOL). I love this feature!

Echo images during antenatal checkups can be clearly saved.

Minato:This service will be introduced in obstetrics and gynecology hospitals so that users of the application can refer to images, and we are gradually promoting the service with Fujitsu Limited, which co-developed the service.

The other is a feature called "poop screening" that started in July 2019, which leads to early detection of babies with "biliary atresia". This disease called "biliary atresia" affects 100 to 150 children every year in Japan, and although the survival rate is high if operated on early, there are cases where the disease is not detected early and the child dies. The key to early detection is the "color of the baby's stools." The paper Maternal and Child Health Handbook also says, "Compare the baby's stools with the attached 'stool color sheet' and seek medical attention if they are close to a light color. ...... Do you know this?

Editorial:Yes, I think I have seen such a sheet, but I haven't used it.

Minato:Currently, under the auspices of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, "poop checkups" that lead to early detection of "biliary atresia" are being called for through obstetrics and pediatrics hospitals. The "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App" therefore enables a diagnosis of suspected "biliary atresia" by taking a picture of the "baby's stool" and the "stool color sheet" of the paper Maternal and Child Health Handbook side by side with a smartphone camera and showing the image to a doctor. This solves the problem of having to rely on the conventional self-report by the guardian, "It was close to the color X on the stool color sheet," and the problem that even if the guardian takes a picture of the stool, it is difficult to make a reliable judgment because the actual color differs depending on the camera or smartphone screen performance. This is because if the stool and the stool color sheet are photographed side by side, the doctor can determine which sample is closer to the color on the screen.

Screen image of the "Poop Checkup" function

Minato:Originally, the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook App" was developed by our company and Maternity Mark issued byNPO Sunflower Associationand strong in IT services for municipalitiesMirabo CorporationThis is a joint service with the "Himawari-no-kai" (Sunflower Association). Of these, the Himawari-no-kai is sponsored by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and is particularly aware of the issues involved in the prevention of biliary atresia, which led to the inclusion of the "poop checkup" function in the application. By incorporating this function, we hope to first make parents who use the app aware of the existence of the disease "biliary atresia," and then spread the "poop checkup" that leads to its early detection and early treatment.

The greatness of having the MCH handbook as an "app" is immediately apparent when you use it.

Editorial:What kind of feedback have you received from users?

Minato:Many users commented that the growth record easily kept by the application is a very good keepsake. One user commented, "The Maternal and Child Health Handbook application provided me with emotional support during my difficult pregnancy," to which the person in charge, who had been involved in the development and operation of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook application for a long time, was moved to tears. Then there is the fact that it can be used as a backup in case of disaster, which is also of great interest among users. In addition, municipalities that have contracted with us to use this app for information dissemination have commented that it is easy to use, that information dissemination is easier than expected, and that it has reduced the time and effort required to contact them when changing event dates. Medical institutions have also found it useful for their parents, as necessary information is distributed in a timely manner after pregnancy and delivery.

Ms. Minato discusses the evaluation and future vision of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application.

Editorial:Finally, can you tell us about the future development of the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application"?

Minato:Until now, the Maternal and Child Health Handbook has been primarily positioned as a record of our health and growth up to the preschool years, and from elementary school onward until we start working, our personal health and growth records have been kept at school. In other words, our health and growth records during the schooling period are not kept with us. In order to avoid such a gap in health information and to enable continuous monitoring of health data, the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application" also allows entry of data until the age of 20. In the future, it may become a "lifetime health notebook application" that allows users to keep health records for the rest of their lives.

<After the interview

In the article, various advantages of "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Apps" were mentioned, but the advantage of being able to store important data for a long period of time without losing it cannot be overlooked. There are unexpectedly many situations in which information on childhood vaccinations is needed as an adult, such as overseas business trips or, more recently, when applying for university entrance procedures. If the data is recorded in an app, it can be easily retrieved 10 or 20 years later, which will be very helpful for future children. However, NTT DOCOMO offers the best service for families who already use paper maternity diaries and pregnancy/childcare diaries, which can be found at ....... The service is to use the company's "Omakase-Keitai" application to take pictures of past handwritten records with a camera, send them to the company, and the data will be entered and reflected in the "Maternal and Child Health Handbook Application". This service is said to be available "free of charge," so if you have been hesitant to switch to a "mother-child handbook application," why not give it a try?

Maternal and Child Health Handbook App" Official Website
https://www.boshi-techo.com/service/