Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has co-designed a diabetes app for patients, to help support remote self-management.
The Trust has announced the arrival of the new DBm-Health™ app, a co-creation between clinicians and the company Sensyne Health.
The technology is currently being launched to a “limited number” of patients but with a view to being “rolled out across the Trust”.
Developed by CW Innovation, a joint programme from the Trust and its official charity CW+, it’s part of a push to deliver “innovative” and “high-quality remote care in response to the pandemic”.
Long-term conditions such as diabetes are drawing attention as good fits for out-of-hospital care that can keep people safely at home.
The app itself is available on smartphone for patients and desktop for clinicians. And it also has a focus on preventative measures as well as treatment.
It enables clinician and patient to develop a personalised care plan together, which encompasses lifestyle advice and targets for blood glucose control, as well as treatment.
Patients are able to input data and readings directly or through a Bluetooth glucose meter. While further context, e.g meal times, can be added and sent directly to the Trust.
In addition to viewing individual patients’ blood glucose readings, staff will be able to identify patients of concern and provide targeted support, filter patient lists and contact users via the app or text messages.
Dr Daniel Morganstein, Endocrinologist and Diabetes Specialist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS FT, led the clinical development of DBm-Health. He said: “DBm-Health has the potential to radically improve how we manage our patients, especially those benefiting from additional support in self-management.
“It uses only a standard glucose meter available to almost all people living with diabetes. We’re excited by the possibilities of this technology, which comes at a time when we’re trying to care for patients without them having to come in the hospital.
“We hope the new DBm-Health system will enable us to care for more patients by significantly reducing the time taken to contact patients by phone or email to review their data, and allow the team to focus on those needing support.”
