Dr Sanjiv Agarwal talks to City Express about the unique features of Diabetacare.
Tell us about Diabetacare.
More than 65 million people live with diabetes in India and this number is expected to grow to 100 million by 2020.
Diabetics are hospitalised twice as often as those who do not have this disease, and they are likely to stay in the hospital 30 per cent longer. The current diabetes service models of periodic patient visits to their health care providers do not lend to regular, disciplined self-management and care required for successful treatment of diabetes.
Diabetacare connected service (Remote dCare Monitoring, along with a conventional diabetes centre near you) bridges this gap in a manner that is efficient, effective and affordable.
Diabetacare has launched its first centre in India in Koramangala and further three centres are planned in various locations in Bangalore for later this year.
Diabetacare services have been developed by a team of clinicians from UK and India who are renowned leaders in diabetes management. Prof Andrew Boulton from Manchester is a world leader in management of Diabetes Foot Complications, Prof Sudhesh Kumar, pro dean of Warwick University is leader in obesity and its complications in diabetes.
What does Diabetacare’s remote monitoring do?
Keeping oneself informed and monitoring health conditions regularly is key to efficient diabetes management. DiabetaCare provides the platform for remote monitoring through a set of leading-edge devices that relay the data to our centralised dCare Monitoring Center(DMC).
Diabetacare has launched a unique connected device dCare Smart which is a new generation glucometer which transmits glucose readings to our secured database and in your personalised medical records on to our customised and comprehensive Diabetes Electronic Medical Record system. The system is designed to send alerts to your personalised dCarer and your doctor, so that appropriate action can be taken.
In cases of children and the elderly, DxNET can be set to send an alert to a parent or to next of kin.
How do you personalise care?
DiabetaCare is committed to tackle the inequalities that exist within diabetes care. This includes looking at the way that the disease affects diverse groups of people, such as those from different ethnic backgrounds and social classes, older people and young people, and also variations in the way that different groups are able to access services.
At Diabetacare, we believe in the comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to diabetes management emphasising that the diabetes nurse specialists can be a critical link in patient communication and education.
In Diabetacare allocates a personalised diabetes carer. Studies over the last 10 years have shown that normalising the blood sugar (as well as blood pressure and cholesterol) helps prevent or delay diabetes complications.
This requires a great deal of hard work and needs to be kept up for the long-term - diabetes control is a marathon, not a sprint. In order to normalise sugar level, the patient needs to know how to monitor his/her blood sugar and match your treatment to with diet and exercise. The personalised dCarer’s goal is to teach everything a patient needs to know to take care and lead an active, healthy life. Often, addressing the fears and concerns of loved ones about diabetes is critical to helping the patient do what needs to be done. At Diabetacare personalised care and support is provided by personalised dCarers in several languages - Kannada, Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
How do you achieve a multi-disciplinary approach?
At DiabetaCare management of diabetes is around a proactive, personalised and
holistic approach that includes implementing lifestyle changes. Among the health complications that can arise due to unchecked level of diabetes are Diabetic Retinopathy (leading to blindness), Diabetic Nephropathy (leading to kidney failure requiring dialysis) and Diabetic Neuropathy (leading to amputation and losing of limbs) besides accelerated rates of cardiac complications.
At Diabetacare, we have developed dedicated interdisciplinary teams for effective management of such conditions. We coordinate with specialists in related domains such as neurologist, vascular surgeons, nephrologist and ophthalmologists to ensure optimum care and treatment of our patients. Our customised medical-care plans ensure that the condition does not worsen and your diabetes is controlled.