The green health card has been a part of Norwegian pregnant women's healthcare for decades. Now it's going digital – and that will change how you, as a midwife, document every single check-up.

You know the rhythm of a prenatal check-up. The pregnant woman sits down, and in less than half an hour, you need to cover sleep, nausea, and anxiety, measure blood pressure, feel her belly, listen to the heartbeat, and note it all – often while still having your hand on her belly and your eyes on her. Much of what's most important is not said in response to a form field. It comes between the lines, in a passing comment like «it's a bit harder to walk now than last time.».

At the same time, maternity care is being digitized. The paper-based health record for pregnant women is in the process of being replaced by a digital version, and this places new demands on how information is recorded, shared, and follows the pregnant woman throughout the entire process. For you as a midwife, this means that documentation becomes more important – and that there is even more to gain by doing it efficiently.

The health card becomes digital – and documentation will be shared

The health card for pregnant women is the link between the pregnant woman, the general practitioner, the midwife, and the hospital. It is meant to follow the woman throughout her pregnancy and ensure that everyone involved sees the same picture. Today, this is largely a paper document that the pregnant woman carries with her, so Norwegian Directorate of Health's guidance on health cards for pregnant women describes.

This is precisely what is now being digitized. Digital health card for pregnant women launched in limited testing in May 2025 – initially in Helse Sør-Øst (Vestre Viken) and Stavanger municipality, later also Helse Møre og Romsdal – with the goal of a national rollout of the service during 2026. The pregnant person gives consent and can view their health card on Helsenorge.

When information is to flow digitally between the midwife, doctor, and maternity ward, it becomes even more important that what you enter is precise and structured from the first appointment. A note that previously only you read now becomes part of a shared process. This is a good development for patient safety – but it adds a new layer of responsibility for the person documenting.

More screen time is the last thing maternity care needs

Prenatal care is built on relationships. National clinical guideline for antenatal care based on a basic program with regular consultations – including blood pressure measurement and urine sample at each check-up – and the entire process relies on the midwife having time to see the whole woman, not just the numbers. But the duty of documentation is real. After Healthcare Personnel Act § 40 and the Patient Record Regulations The journal shall contain relevant and necessary information about the pregnant person and the healthcare provided, recorded in accordance with good professional practice.

The challenge is that the more that needs to be registered digitally, the greater the temptation to let the screen capture attention. We have previously written about how Screen time during the consultation affects the trust between the therapist and the patient – and in maternity care, where security and relationship are the very tools, this is particularly vulnerable. A pregnant person who experiences the midwife writing more than listening will share less.

This is not a criticism of digitalization. A shared, digital health record is a real step forward. The point is that the surrounding tools must help the midwife keep her focus where it belongs – on the woman, not on the keyboard.

This is how Medivox can be part of the solution

This is where speech-to-text comes in. Medivox listens to the consultation and delivers a structured draft of the medical record before the next patient enters. In practice, this means you can say the findings aloud as you examine – blood pressure, symphysis-fundus measurement, fetal heartbeat, the pregnant woman's own descriptions – and let the draft build up along the way, instead of writing it down afterwards from memory.

For the midwife, there are several advantages. You maintain proximity in the conversation because you don't have to turn towards the screen to capture everything. You get the nuances – what the pregnant person actually said about sleep, concerns, or physical well-being – because the note builds on the conversation that took place. And because you build your own templates, the structure can be adapted to an antenatal appointment: medical history, measurements, assessment, and plan for the next appointment.

Privacy is built-in. In Medivox, personal data is pseudonymized before further processing, and all data processing takes place in Norwegian data centers. This is a prerequisite when dealing with something as sensitive as pregnancy and childbirth. And equally important: You own the journal and make the final assessment. Medivox writes a draft – it is you, the midwife, who reviews, corrects, and approves before anything is saved. The tool handles the documentation, not the professional responsibility.

A profession that deserves good tool support

Midwives face a fast-paced daily life with great responsibility, and documentation is part of the burden that is rarely seen from the outside. We have previously described how Documentation can be the straw that breaks the camel's back for healthcare professionals, leading to burnout. – and midwives are no exception. As prenatal care is now being digitized, it's an opportunity to ensure that the new requirements don't just mean more work, but also a chance to work smarter.

Midwives have long been among those who carry a lot of documentation without being at the top of the list when health technology is discussed – in the same way as several of professions often overlooked in healthcare digitalization. When an entire process is now to flow digitally from the first check-up to maternity leave, they deserve tools that give back time to the most important thing: the woman and the child on the way.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will the digital health card for pregnant women be available?
The service began in limited testing in May 2025, in selected parts of the country. The goal is a nationwide expansion of the service during 2026.

Does speech-to-text work for a prenatal check-up that lasts 20-30 minutes?
Yes. Medivox is built for conversations of all lengths, picking up what is said during the consultation and structuring it into a draft.

Who is responsible for what is stated in the medical record when AI writes the draft?
You. Medivox creates a draft based on what was said, but the midwife reviews, corrects, and approves the note. You own the record and make the final assessment.

Is it safe from a privacy perspective to use speech-to-text for sensitive pregnancy information?
Medivox pseudonymizes personal data before further data processing, and all data processing takes place in Norwegian data centers.

Do I have to change my journal system to use Medivox?
No. Medivox creates the medical record draft, which you quality assure and transfer to your existing professional system.

Use Medivox for free – Get started completely free

Would you like to see how speech-to-text can fit into a busy pregnancy check-up? Contact us – then we'll show you how Medivox works with your rhythm and your templates.

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