The first mobile app in the world tailored for pregnant radiographers is the latest technical innovation to emerge from the University of Pretoria’s (UP) transdisciplinary research.

The award-winning PregiDose mobile application is far more than a digital tool – it is a revolutionary concept that addresses occupational health and safety for pregnant radiographers through dose tracking, education and psychosocial support.

As a mother of two, the creator of the app Hafsa Essop of UP’s Department of Radiography, understands the need to ensure good health and well-being, particularly maternal and foetal health, a key component of the World Health Organization’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3). She explains her thinking behind the app.

Ionising radiation has the potential to cause harmful  effects to cells. The risk of these effects increases in a foetus, whose tissues are still developing. The effects of radiation, which depends on the amount of exposure received, can be seen immediately (deterministic effects), or may present later in life or in the offspring of the foetus that has been exposed (stochastic effects).

“Pregnant radiographers are required to wear a special dosimeter to record and monitor foetal dose exposure. This process is self-regulated. However, we found that pregnant radiographers don’t use their dosimeters correctly and do not have a consistent method of recording and monitoring their foetus’s doses. Often, they still use traditional methods such as manually writing exposures in a logbook. We decided to develop a mobile application to enhance the manner in which pregnant radiographers record and monitor foetal doses.”

In November 2023, Essop was awarded the Cousins Award for her pioneering work in radiological protection.

How it works                                                                        

The mobile app provides a graph of accumulated doses as the daily or weekly doses are inputted by the user. This enables pregnant radiographers to actively monitor radiation levels long before  unsafe threshold limits are reached, thus allowing them to be more vigilant in their work environment by taking precautionary measures.

The app also offers pregnant radiographers information that is both accessible and easy to comprehend. Additional emotional support features of the app align with methods used in psychotherapy to promote mental well-being, such as mobile mindfulness and journalling, as well as social connection with other pregnant radiographers and experts.

Watch the app in action.

Researchers:

• Hafsa Essop, Department of Radiography

• Dr Mable Kekana, Department of Radiography

• Professor Hanlie Smuts, Department of Informatics