Diabetes
six months I’ve felt connected and like I have the help and support I need. It fills me full of confidence that my healthcare team can see what’s happening on a daily and weekly basis with my blood glucose.”
Addressing health inequalities through digital connectivity Serious gaps still exist in access, cost, and quality of care for people with diabetes based on gender, demographics, and socioeconomic factors. It is crucial that the focus is given on those from more deprived backgrounds, due to the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes in this population.8 Diabetes UK delivered the Diabetes is Serious
report, highlighting the call for a recovery plan to tackle the gaps in service access and delays in diabetes care across the UK despite the tireless efforts of the NHS.3
Findings of the
report suggest that difficulties accessing care are more likely to be experienced by those in the most deprived quintiles. One third of people in the most deprived areas reported that it had been hard to contact their diabetes healthcare team in 2022, compared with one quarter for those who were least deprived.3
Furthermore,
those who were most deprived were almost 50% more likely to have had no contact with their healthcare team over the last year, compared with people living in the least deprived areas.3 RocheDiabetes Care, working in partnership with Diabetes UK, laid down the foundations of how the landscape of diabetes could be transformed and inequalities might be tackled. The primary focus for the partnership was on Bradford and the North of England, where deprivation is high and diabetes outcomes are the poorest, predominantly affecting the South Asian population.9 A key factor in tackling healthcare inequality
is reaching out to people with diabetes in the community, increasing access and building trust in diabetes support. Diabetes UK developed strong partnerships across voluntary, community and faith-based organisations to better support people of Black African, Caribbean & South Asian descent in their own communities.9
Reaching even further, Diabetes
UK partnered with Bradford Community Broadcasting radio to deliver a series of radio broadcasts covering diabetes prevention, risk in ethnic minority communities, where to access accurate diabetes information and support and how to prepare for Ramadan as a person living with diabetes.9
Language barriers, cultural challenges, and
digital literacy can prevent people with diabetes in ethnic minority communities from being able to access the care they need. Diabetes UK have
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developed educational resources in a total of 16 different languages, curating content to fit cultural needs.9
Digital diabetes management
platforms can also help to overcome these population-based challenges. The mySugr app is available in 24 languages and can provide an easily digestible, personalised and engaging management strategy.5
to a smartphone, use of mySugr through her caregiver reduced the number for face-to-face appointments and increased appointment efficiency by eliminating the need for her to read out her blood glucose measurements over the phone.
Insulin adjustments could be made Interactive colour-coded
features within the app can enable patients to quickly understand their readings and their relationships with lifestyle factors that may impact their condition. Technological services and leveraging analytics
help identify healthcare disparities, the root cause of the inequality, and supports HCPs to craft targeted interventions to reduce bias and improve health outcomes for all. However, there remains wide disparity in the uptake of digital monitoring systems by those in deprived communities.10
There is evidence that provider
bias plays a role in this disparity; to address this, it is essential that HCPs inform people with diabetes of all backgrounds on the BGM options available.10 The extent of deprivation on diabetes care
Although socio-economically deprived people with diabetes may not have access to smartphones themselves to utilise connected BGM systems, they may have caregivers with smartphone access who may be able to use apps such as mySugr on their behalf. This allows for better connection for the person with diabetes to the healthcare provider through the caregiver and improves diabetes management as a result. In a case study of an elderly lady with diabetes who had no access
cannot be underestimated: “Some of our patients do not even have the basics necessary to manage their diabetes, including a patient who couldn’t afford a fridge to store their insulin,” one healthcare provider told Diabetes UK.9
much more rapidly and the patient’s travel burden was reduced.11
On the contrary, for
people with diabetes with no access to a smartphone whatsoever, building community engagement networks is crucial to enable access to educational resources and increase collaboration with HCPs.9 Using technological solutions can support
clinics to reduce the burden of diabetes by making the right information available to the right people at the right time, to improve diabetes outcomes regardless of where the patient may live and thus increase healthcare equity. For example, as the need for face-to-face appointments is reduced, those with diabetes who are housebound or living in rural areas can still receive the level of care they require – the care of the person with diabetes no longer depends on their access to transport.5
Closing summary With a diabetes population that is expanding rapidly, the need for innovative digital management solutions is greater than ever before. By advancing digitalised diabetes care, RocheDiabetes Care is supporting clinics, healthcare professionals and people living with diabetes. Connected BGM systems are accessible and interactive tools that enable diabetes self-management and improve health outcomes for people with diabetes. These connected BGM solutions contribute to health equity, helping to bridge the gap between
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