Diabetes and accurate.5 Use of digitalised BGM systems
streamlines diabetes care for those living with the condition, their caregivers and healthcare providers. Faster and more accurate insulin titrations can be prescribed when needed and there is a reduced need for face-to-face appointments. Furthermore, the duration of the appointments themselves are reduced as the discussion between the patient and the healthcare provider is streamlined. In a London GP practice, capacity was shown to be improved through patient/population risk stratification based on data obtained through implementation of the mySugr app and the RocheDiabetes Care Platform.5 Access to real-time data supports healthcare
providers in becoming more informed to make personalised treatment plans, provide consistent care and set realistic expectations of when care can be delivered. Connected BGM allows for diabetes management to be proactive rather than reactive; the real-time data communicated through diabetes management platforms enables healthcare providers to deliver preventative methods of care. By approaching diabetes care in this manner, patients are empowered to have greater control of their condition, meet glycaemic targets, and reduce their risk of complications. Patients may not always report the full
picture of their diabetes management; through use of connected BGM, healthcare providers can identify when patients are experiencing incidents such as hypoglycaemic episodes. In a London GP practice, a significant number of hypoglycaemic episodes were identified through the RocheDiabetes Care Platform in a patient who had previously reported none. This triggered the healthcare provider to arrange a full face- to-face review and medication adjustment, ultimately improving the patient’s management of their condition – as the real-time evidence provided through the platform confirmed.5 “Prior to using RocheDiabetes Care Platform, we could only give advice if we called the patient and they read out their blood glucose results. Sometimes patient-recorded blood glucose results don’t tally with their HbA1c results. It’s difficult with that kind of patient to make any
changes because you’re actually questioning what they’re telling you. Now we can actually see the data, we know that they’re accurate. With RocheDiabetes Care Platform, that conversation doesn’t need to happen, and you know then that you’re giving the right treatment,” commented a Diabetes Specialist Service Team Lead in Sunderland.4 Technological solutions empower the patient
to engage with self-management of their diabetes through improving health literacy and understanding of how diet, exercise and other lifestyle-related factors impact their blood glucose levels. This ultimately improves health outcomes and reduces the onus on the healthcare provider to manage the patient.5 Patients report feeling more engaged with their diabetes self-management through use of diabetes management apps, which can increase treatment adherence and reduce burden on the healthcare system in the longer term.5
Driving efficiencies in diabetes management through digital connectivity A survey conducted by Diabetes UK found that the 48% of people with diabetes find it difficult to manage their condition, with 50% attributing their difficulties to a lack of access to their diabetes healthcare team.3
Patients with comorbidities require significantly more
Automated data analysis reduces workload and enables healthcare providers to visibly assess data and prioritise patients based on their health needs. This can improve patient flow, clinic capacity, and efficiency, allowing for more regular touchpoints between appointments.
20-minute face-to-face appointments than those without comorbidities, placing additional pressure on the already-stretched healthcare system capacity.5
This presents a struggle
for both HCPs and people with diabetes: in the Diabetes UK survey, more than a third of respondents found it difficult to make these appointments for their diabetes-related check- ups.3
With NHS time constraints there is an urgent
need to revise the model of care and do more with less by implementing digitally enabled care. The NHS have been set a target of 40–50 virtual wards per 100,00 people and to make virtual wards a sustainable model in the long term, where patient demands are met, and productivity is improved.6 As of January 2022, there were 18,000 people with diabetes in the city of Sunderland. A nurse clinic that covered the whole region was facing the challenge of how to remotely titrate insulin with confidence, while lacking in reliable blood glucose data – the clinic was relying on patients providing HCPs with accurate information. Through integration of BGM with the RocheDiabetes Care Platform, patients provided real-time, accurate blood glucose data to the clinic. Six months after introducing the platform, the clinic reported that appointments could now be shortened from 30 minutes to 25 minutes, allowing 312 (14%) more patients to be seen over a 52-week year.7 Digitialising diabetes care also provides a simple and engaging patient communication channel to educate, support and permit continued feedback. Personalised care and shared decision-making encourage patient self-management and can improve outcomes. In the Sunderland clinic, use of the RocheDiabetes Care Platform simplified data analysis and allowed prioritisation of patients with greater needs; insulin patients identified through the platform as needing titration could now be contacted by telephone every 2 weeks, rather than every 4–6.7 Traditionally, the onus has been placed on the patient to contact healthcare providers if they feel support is needed between follow-up appointments. Due to the data sharing through diabetes management platforms, out-of-range blood glucose levels and implicated spikes in HbA1c can be remotely identified and so the patient can be seen for medication adjustments when they need it.4 The benefits of integrated diabetes management platforms are felt by both people with diabetes and their HCPs. One patient commented: “I now feel more confident in receiving my HbA1c result, without the technology I felt alone, but now for the past
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