Read the Perfect Patient Pathway Test Bed Newsletter - Issue One

The first issue of the South Yorkshire Region Perfect Patient Pathway (PPP) Test Bed newsletter has been published.

The evaluation, led by CATCH research Dr Steve Ariss is one of seven national ‘Test Bed’ sites in a drive to modernise how the NHS delivers care through creating new collaborations between the NHS and industry.

In this issue of the newsletter:

• Sir Malcolm Grant CBE visits Innovation Centre - the NHS England Chair was interested to see the rapid progress being made by the Sheffield Perfect Patient Pathway programme.
• Testing the new Health Emergency App - just one of the technologies being evaluated by the PPP.
• Diabetes patients benefiting from device that could help thousands - discover the device helping patients better manage insulin injections.
• Innovative Intelligence Centre will help support patient care - the centre will aggregate data from all health and social care partners to create one dataset.

The programme aims to create the ‘Perfect Patient Pathway’ to bring substantial benefits for patients living with long term health conditions, such as diabetes, mental health problems, respiratory disease, hypertension and other chronic conditions.

To find out more about the Perfect Patient Pathway Test Bed, visit the project page or contact Laura Murray.

The full newsletter can be downloaded and read here.

Feasibility study of a mobile device for weight loss in Type 2 Diabetes

AiperMotion 500

The results of a feasibility study conducted by University of Sheffield researchers have been published online. The study investigated the use of a mobile device to help people with Type 2 Diabetes to lose weight and control their HbA1c. To find out what HbA1c is, please click here.

The AiperMotion 500 is a portable device which monitors an individual’s physical activity and allows the individual to enter the food they have eaten / the calories they have consumed. The device then gives pictorial feedback on the individual’s energy balance for the day. Participants in the current study generally found the device easy to use and acceptable for use in their everyday lives. Some individuals in the study successfully lost weight and / or reduced their HbA1c, although this should be interpreted with caution as the numbers were small (27 in total). The research team plan to use the findings to inform a larger scale study to determine whether a similar mobile device could help people with Type 2 Diabetes control their weight and HbA1c levels.

A number of researchers and clinicians were involved in the project, including members of the Telehealth and Care Technologies theme of CLAHRC YH and the nutrition team at The University of Sheffield.

The full text can be accessed for free via this link. 

RAT runs London Marathon

Having never run at all 9 months ago I started training for the London Marathon…

On Sunday 24^th April 2016, I completed it in 5 hours and 40 mins for an amazing cause! 

I beat Upsidaisy but was overtaken by a chap carrying a tumble dryer (?), a Womble, Paddington Bear and a rhino! However, I didn’t care – I’d finished and so far have raised about £2,200 for a great charity. Thank you to all the RATs, CATCH and ScHARR staff who have raised about £200 of this.

Type I diabetes (T1D) is NOT caused by poor diet or health problems. Its cause is still unknown. It is often contracted in childhood. Those with T1D have to inject insulin many times a day and monitor their blood sugar levels with pin pricks to their fingers even more frequently.

The most important message is: T1D does not have to stop you from doing anything you want. My brother got it when he was 14 – he ran 5 marathons in 6 days 3 years ago and has been my inspiration. His wish is to show children (and their parent’s) a diagnosis of TY1 is not the end. It doesn’t have to stop you from achieving ANY of your dreams. This charity spreads the word, fights for a cure and supports those affected by T1D.

If you want to donate to this great cause: my giving page is still open. Please click here to donate.

Written by Jennifer Read

Mexican scientists roll out toilet-based glucose monitoring device

Scientists at Mexico's Technological Institute of Chihuahua are rolling out a glucose-monitoring device, Glucosalarm, that attaches to the toilet to give results. As researchers explore innovative tools for diabetes monitoring, scientists in Mexico are developing a smartphone-based device that can measure glucose in the blood by analyzing urine in the toilet.

Two scientists at the Technological Institute of Chihuahua are rolling out a tool, Glucosalarm, which runs through a smartphone and records daily values of glucose by attaching to the toilet bowl. Patients activate the device's sensor through Bluetooth on a smartphone. After urinating, a few drops are deposited on a collector and mixed with enzymes that react with the glucose, producing a color compound. The sensor then measures the intensity of the color and calculates glucose concentrations, sending results back to a phone in less than a minute, the device's creator, Carlos Bernal, said in a statement.

Glucosalarm could offer an advantage over current screening methods, many of which rely on needles to collect glucose readings. The device eschews the need for more invasive technology and also sends alerts to family, physicians, and in some cases, an emergency number if the result is too high, allowing for more comprehensive monitoring.

For further information click here.