A new educational website has been launched to encourage healthcare professionals to talk openly with people with type 2 diabetes about the dangers of hypoglycaemia as part of a dedicated campaign: ‘Say No To Hypos’.
It aims to encourage better management of hypoglycaemia (or ‘hypos’) in people with diabetes and to reduce the number of people affected by the condition. Hypoglycaemia can be prevented with treatment and timely management and the campaign also encourages patients to have open conversations with their GP about their hypos in order to identify potential treatment options.
Research suggests that moderate or severe hypoglycaemia can affect up to 45% of people with type 2 diabetes over a 12 month period, meaning that up to 1.3 million of the UK’s 2.9 million people living with type 2 diabetes could be affected. In 2011, NHS spending on diabetes was almost £10 billion – or £1 million per hour – and 80% of this goes into managing potentially avoidable complications. Every time someone is admitted to hospital because of severe hypoglycaemia, it costs the NHS about £1,000.
GP and leading healthcare professional Dr Sarah Jarvis, who supports the need for improved management of hypoglycaemia, said: “This website is a great resource for healthcare professionals to pledge their support for the improved management of hypoglycaemia in line with NICE guidelines.”
www.saynotohypos.co.uk
