Diabetes Awareness Month: How a more holistic approach can result in better health outcomes for patients

Established in 1975, Diabetes Awareness Month is acknowledged each November with a mission of educating the public on the disease and increasing funding for diabetes research. With diabetes projected to impact more than 39.7 million people in the U.S. by 2030, now is the time for the healthcare industry to reflect on how we are doing with improving outcomes for patients with diabetes.

Patient Frustrations as a Result of Diabetes Self-Management

Over the last few years, wearable monitoring devices, home medical testing equipment and mobile apps have begun to fundamentally change how individuals manage their health. But for individuals with diabetes, this move to self-management has often had the opposite effect.

Here’s why:

While new, less invasive blood glucose monitoring tools have been introduced to the market, these consumer-friendly technologies enable the healthcare community to put more of the day-to-day management responsibility in the hands of the patients themselves. So, while patients are empowered with the tools to monitor blood glucose-- as well as the education on adjusting diet, medication, activity and other factors to maintain an optimal glycemic level -- many have been failing to make changes and follow guidelines because they feel fine today and these technologies don’t come without effort or cost. Lack of adherence to guidelines, including treatment intensification by physicians, has resulted in about 81% of patients with Type 2 diabetes not meeting goals target for Hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Improving Outcomes for Diabetes Patients with Innovative Technology

To help patients succeed and address the population health impacts of growing diabetes diagnoses and complications, clinicians must:

• Work to better understand the frustrations and challenges that people living with diabetes face. This is the first step in changing the perceptions and realities of using self-monitoring technology and connected devices.
• Gain clearer insights into all the factors impacting self-monitoring. Oftentimes, patients will not discuss the barriers they face, such as poor social support, inability to afford medications or lack of transportation to and from appointments because they fear how their doctor may react.
• Take a more holistic approach to care, using innovative technology that connects patient-generated data from a patient’s connected devices – like blood glucose monitors and insulin pens – with patient reported outcomes and clinical data in a provider’s EHR system.

That’s where Rimidi can help. By seamlessly integrating into provider workflows, our platform gives clinicians a more complete view of a patient’s health and drives patient-specific clinical insights and actions within the framework of the latest evidence and guidelines. With our Diabetes View, care teams get to see a full picture of their diabetic population, and identify gaps in population management as well as individual outcomes.

For more information on how Rimidi can help your health system lower costs while providing better outcomes for patients with diabetes, contact a member of our team today.