Today, November 14, is designated as World Diabetes Day to unite the global diabetes community to produce a powerful voice for diabetes awareness and advocacy. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 425 million people are currently living with diabetes, prevalence is continuing to rise, and one in two people currently living with diabetes is undiagnosed.
Living with diabetes is a daily struggle, but many organizations have worked to create programs to decrease the struggle of those impacted. Ms. F, a 62-year-old African-American female with diabetes who relies on getting her nutrition from a food pantry, is a great example of someone that has benefited from these programs. Ms. F struggled with making proper food choices, adherence to proper medication, and transportation to make regular doctors’ appointments.
Through part of PCCI’s Connected Communities of Care program which shares patient’s information between providers and community-based organizations, Ms. F’s health and social service providers were able to connect and share information regarding her condition. When Ms. F visited the food pantry, staff members were aware of her diabetes. This knowledge enabled the staff to effectively guide her through her diet choices. This pilot program between three food pantries and Parkland Health & Hospital system helped many patients in taking the steps needed to control their disease.
In addition to limited access to healthy food choices, many patients in underserved communities have limited access to transportation. This challenge has made the remote monitoring of patients a critically important component in managing diabetes. PCCI is partnering with Parkland Health & Hospital System’s Global Diabetes Initiative to explore innovative approaches to improving the care of diabetic patients with foot ulcers which can lead to amputations if unresponsive to care. By acquiring data from home glucose monitoring devices and making real-time changes to treatment without physically having to see the patient, the (soon to be launched) study aims to create a sustainable remote glucose monitoring care system. This system will improve glucose control, promote faster healing of foot wound, and reduce long-term healthcare utilization and ultimately, reduce the burden cost of care for individuals and families.
Resources:
https://www.worlddiabetesday.org/
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf