Latest diabetes technology showcased at national conference
Innovative technology that is improving the lives of people with diabetes will take centre stage at this year’s Diabetes Professional Care conference.
The conference, which is taking place at Olympia London on 16 and 17 November, includes a new area dedicated toTechnology Presentations which will showcase technological products designed to help healthcare professionals better improve the quality of care for people living with diabetes.
Product exhibitions include:
MyWay Digital Health (MWDH)
MyWay Digital Health (MWDH) runs digital platforms that provide access to 250 educational modules in a variety of different formats, including text, animations and short videos.
Its programmes are approved by QISMET (Quality Institute for Self Management Education and Training) and when the pandemic hit, it was approached by NHS England to create a national type 1 diabetes digital platform which is now available to people across the country.
A key component for MWDH is also allowing people with diabetes to access their NHS data and upload home data and receive personalised insights, delivered through their MyWay Diabetes app.
COO Chris Avery said: “MyWay Diabetes gives individuals online access to their medical records.
“This allows them to see information like their historic HbA1c records alongside tailored information so we can provide them with education that is relevant to their needs.
“The service is personalised to them. So, for example, someone with type 1 diabetes will receive different information to that which is sent to someone who has been newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Using data, we also support more personalised treatment and triage through predictive analytics approaches.
“We’re currently commissioned by six large regions in England – and are very proud that around 25 per cent of the diabetic population in England already has access to our platform.
“The system is incredibly cost effective and has made a huge difference to the regions which have commissioned us. Every £1 spent on our platforms has been demonstrated to save £5 in healthcare costs.”
The organisation also runs MyWay Clinical for healthcare professionals which integrates health care provider and home-recorded data to produce a complete diabetes electronic health record and analytics platform.
Chris added: “This is a great resource because, for example, GP practices can use the data to identify patients with high HbA1c, or those at high risk of developing complications, and set up triages to support them.
“On the back of more than two years of Covid, and a lack of face-to-face appointments, we’re getting more and more reports of people in this situation who need this type of assistance.”
The Younger Lives Group
The Younger Lives Group is made up of world-leading experts in age-based risk assessments and programme design.
Since developing their innovative heart age test in 2007, the company has worked with private and public sector clients across the globe and has now launched a new programme – Diabetes Age®.
Co-founder Dr Mark Cobain (pictured) said: “We know only a third of people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels to the standards outlined in the National Diabetes Audit and only one in seven take part in the national structured education programme.
“DiabetesAge® has been created to help people living with type 2 diabetes learn how their condition is prematurely ageing them. This age approach to communicating risk provides strong motivation to take action and we give individuals the options to take control of their diabetes.
“Through our programme we can show people how poor blood glucose control is contributing to their bodies ageing faster than normal which really motivates them.
“Our research has found that after taking the Diabetes Age Test, 80 per cent of our participants were motivated to take action to control their blood glucose and 90 per cent were motivated to lose weight, get fitter or take their medication.
“We’re excited to share what we’re doing at the Diabetes Professional Care exhibition because we want to hear from health care professionals, diagnosticians and clinicians how they think our programmes can be best used in clinical settings.”
Hicom
Hicom is exhibiting Diamond – a platform of specialist digital tools that provide core data in standard format for multi-disciplinary diabetes teams, improving interaction and enabling access to patient information in real-time.
The key to Diamond’s success is its ability to save time, reduce human error and duplications, enabling medical professionals to accurately capture, record and report on a wide range of patient data.
The organisation’s Electronic Medical Records Product Manager Jon Elburn said: “While the setup for diabetes care has traditionally been hospital-centred, we are starting to see a shift taking place where, particularly for type 2 diabetes care, the ability to provide joined-up outpatient care is becoming increasingly important.
“Diamond is able to support multidisciplinary teams in both the acute and community setting with an integrated model of care by providing a single electronic care record; integration with other, Trust-wide systems such as pathology and PAS; and seamless, paperless communication.
“Diamond allows clinical teams to maintain high standards of care for a complex condition with increased efficiency and reach.”
Thriva Solutions
Leading organisations trust the Thriva Solutions platform to deliver diagnostics driven healthcare quickly and at scale and more than 50 healthcare providers have partnered with them making them the UK's leading at home diagnostic provider. The Solutions platform provides a turnkey solution for organisations to launch their own patient centric lab services through a simple API, bringing years of experience to provide everything you need to launch diagnostic programmes within weeks.
Thriva provides partners with over 200 tests, and are focused on supporting patients to manage and reduce chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. Thriva was the home testing partner for South West London's You & Type 2 initiative through which it enabled people living with diabetes get access to crucial diagnostics at home , allowing people to manage their condition more easily.
Only 36 per cent of patients with diabetes received routine check-ups in 2021 (NHS England) so it is vital patients are provided with fast, accessible diagnostics which are easily interpreted. The You & Type 2 initiative offered new ways for people to test, share and understand their biomarkers. Published this week, the evaluation found:
· Both pilot practices were able to successfully provide a remote type 2 diabetes annual review pathway
· Practice staff found the remote pathway offer useful and saw potential for it to reduce pressures on primary care
· Many of the service users found the tests acceptable for use, with some wanting to use the pathway annually.
"Our mission has always been to help people spend more time in better health," said Jack Tabner, Director of Strategic Partnerships. "This evaluation shows that Thriva can be the Diagnostics as a service partner in a health ecosystem improving access to testing and reducing clinical burden.”
Hedia
Hedia Diabetes Assistant (HDA) is a class IIb medical device, developed to support patients managing their insulin-requiring diabetes (IRD) and achieve their desired health outcomes and blood glucose control. HDA takes an agnostic approach and connects to BG devices and Smartpens.
Based on habits of the individual person with diabetes and personalised input, HDA generates insulin recommendations with the aim of helping the person with diabetes in their insulin treatment.
HDA is now being tested with nurses, dieticians and patients at four to six sites in the UK, to generate real world evidence and ensure it will become available to people living with insulin-requiring diabetes.
“In Hedia, we have built a safe solution that contains a modified bolus algorithm to help me and others manage blood glucose levels based on insulin dosage, physical activity, and carb intake,” said Peter Lucas, CEO who is living with type 1 diabetes.
To register for the Diabetes Professional Care conference, click here