Welcome to the Academy!
A new Diabetes Technology Network (DTN) education programme, initially for HCPs, has launched. Simply called Academy, it is bringing info on the increasing choices of diabetes tech, from insulin pumps to CGM and app, in one place – for free – across the UK.
Glooko-Diasend in partnership with the Diabetes Technology Network (DTN)/ and Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD), has launched a new online medical education programme for clinicians who treat people with diabetes in the UK. The programme will help clinicians keep their knowledge base current on the ever-growing assortment of new diabetes technologies that manufacturers make available to people with diabetes. It was inspired after discussions with the National Health Service England (NHSE), as part of its effort to ensure that all diabetes healthcare professionals learn uniformly about technology.
Called the Academy education programme, it provides online courses about diabetes technology delivered through video modules. For people with diabetes and their healthcare providers, managing the myriad technologies like glucose monitors and insulin pumps, and the data volume that accompany these technologies, is a well-established challenge. And while tech-based services like web-based programs, telehealth, mobile apps and remote monitoring are improving users’ accessibility and connectivity, the adoption of these innovations in the UK has been slow.
The Academy education programme focuses exclusively on diabetes health tech. It includes an extensive range of online courses for (HCPs), with the intent to increase knowledge, training and usage of these devices – ultimately improving outcomes for the people with diabetes using these technologies. All courses are accessed as video modules through the Diasend diabetes data management app and portal and via the DigiBete Global platform.
It is available to all diabetes HCPs in the UK at no cost, funded in part by sponsorships from global industry partners including Abbott, AgaMatrix, Dexcom, Insulet, Medtronic and Roche Diabetes Care.
It is expected that many of these webinars and tutorials are also likely to be used to inform and educate people with diabetes themselves. We will bring you futher news on that as and when it happens.
Reduce barriers
Another goal of the educational platform is to reduce barriers to the adoption of diabetes digital tools. DTN UK/ABCD provides guidance on educational content and ensures that the programme aligns with current and future National Health Service England (NHSE) policy/pathways. Healthcare professionals earn Continuous Personal Development accreditation for completing the programme.
Russ Johannesson, Chief Executive Officer of Glooko commented, “Academy is an important investment that sets a new standard for professional development in the diabetes medical technology industry. In collaboration with the NHSE and DTN UK/ABCD, we’ve developed a new, extensive curriculum that will not only equip HCPs to access training that is relevant to their technology skills development, but it will also build a wider range of their capabilities as we move increasingly towards a remote patient monitoring environment. The curriculum covers more than 95% of the current diabetes device manufacturers and their technologies.”
Prof. Pratik Choudhary, Professor in Diabetes and Chair of DTN UK remarked on the launch saying, “As diabetes technology becomes increasingly widespread in routine clinical practice, we need to train all levels of our diabetes and wider health workforce in what these technologies are and how to use the large amounts of data they generate. Use of these technologies has transformed how we deliver care, especially during these challenging times. We firmly believe that the collective efforts that we’re cultivating with world-class digital health companies like Glooko will create more value and positively impact outcomes that matter to people with diabetes.”
Additionally, Prof. Partha Kar, National Specialty Advisor of Diabetes at NHS England, stated: “As Nick Fury once said in The Avengers ‘There was an idea.’ It’s been a pleasure to bring together multiple partners across industry, specialists in diabetes care, facilitated by Glooko for this project. As diabetes technologies continually advance and improve, it’s critical that healthcare providers have access to the most exceptional training on the plethora of devices that people with diabetes use on a daily basis. This platform will hopefully go a long way in ensuring education is available uniformly across the NHS – and thereby improving access and outcomes for those living with diabetes.”
Glooko is committed to incorporating newly-developed online immersive education experiences that complement its portfolio of industry-leading diabetes digital health solutions. The Academy programme is part of Glooko’s global mission to improve health outcomes by connecting people with diabetes and their healthcare professionals, enabling telehealth, clinical research and improved collaboration.
Glooko is transforming digital health by connecting people with diabetes and their health care professionals, enabling telehealth, clinical research, and improved collaboration. The software platforms Glooko and Diasend empower diabetes management by collecting and unlocking the power of data from blood-glucose meters, CGMs, insulin pumps, pens, and activity trackers – bringing insights together in one place. Data is easily uploaded – remotely via app or in-clinic, securely shared, and visualized in actionable charts and graphs. This creates a solid foundation enabling collaboration and confident treatment decisions.
Sources:
- Diabetes Facts and Stats: 2015 – Diabetes UK, 2015
- Diabetes Self-management Education and Support in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Report / American Diabetes Association (ADA) June 2020.
