A SMARTPHONE app for women with a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy has won a national award.

Created to help with the care and treatment of women with gestational diabetes, the app was developed as a collaboration between Oxford University Hospital's Women’s Centre and Oxford University’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering, with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects thousands of mothers-to-be in the UK each year and can lead to serious complications, including high rates of stillbirth and congenital anomalies.

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Currently, the most common method of managing diabetes in pregnancy is via finger-prick blood glucose testing.

However, the app enables women to connect a blood glucose meter to their smartphone using Bluetooth and then automatically collect blood glucose measurements.

These measurements, along with any text-based commentary the woman wishes to record, are transmitted directly to the clinical team where they may be reviewed via a web-based software application.

The app, called GDm-Health, won the MedTech, Device or Hardware Innovation Award at the HSJ Partnership Awards.

Consultant obstetrician Dr Lucy Mackillop, clinical lead for the development of GDm-Health, said: “Through GDm-Health, we have been able to make a real, tangible difference to the lives of women during pregnancy."

She added with the condition becoming more prevalent, it was 'vital' the latest technological insights available be utilised to better manage GDM.