You can now detect jaundice in your newborn with an app

SALT LAKE CITY — New technology at Intermountain Health could allow parents to test if their baby has jaundice with an app on their smartphones.

Dr. Timothy Bahr is a specialist at Intermountain Healthcare who works with high-risk newborns. He says this diagnosis of jaundice is done through an app on your phone and is as simple as taking a picture.

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“We want to save pokes and we want to keep the blood in the baby — we don’t want to have to take blood,” Bahr said. “The other thing, is a lot of babies continue to have this problem when they go home. You can imagine how inconvenient it is for a family to pack up a newborn baby and take them to the doctor’s office.”

Up to 60 percent of babies are born with jaundice. Bahr this app could mean babies can get tested easier and treated faster.

Bahr says this jaundice-detecting app could be an alternative to a blood test.

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“Every baby in the United States is screened for high jaundice levels, and that usually takes a blood test,” said Bahr.

Bahr says this technology is still in the research phase but is already approved in the European Union. They’ve brought it to the U.S. to continue to study it.