Glooko announced, in partnership with the Diabetes Technology Network (DTN)/ Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD), 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 healthcare professionals learn uniformly about technology.
Currently, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK is estimated to be 3.5 million and expected to rise to five million by 2025.
For people with diabetes and their healthcare providers, managing the myriad technologies like glucose monitors and insulin pumps, and the data volume that accompanies 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 has been slow.
The Academy™ education programme focuses exclusively on diabetes health tech, and includes an extensive range of online courses for healthcare professionals (HCPs), with the intent to increase knowledge, training and usage of these devices – ultimately improving outcomes. All courses are accessed as video modules through the diasend® diabetes data management app and portal, via the DigiBete Global platform.
The programme is available to all diabetes healthcare professionals in the UK at no cost, and is funded in part via sponsorships from global industry partners like Abbott, AgaMatrix, Dexcom, Insulet, Medtronic and Roche Diabetes Care.
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 CPD accreditation for completing the programme.
“Academy™ is an important investment that sets a new standard for professional development in the diabetes medical technology industry,” said Russ Johannesson, Chief Executive Officer of Glooko. “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 (RPM) environment.”
The curriculum covers over 95% of the diabetes device manufacturers and their technologies, and HCPs that complete the programme will receive Continuing Professional Development accreditation as well as DTN UK/ABCD certification.
“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,” Professor Pratik Choudhary, Professor / Honorary Consultant in Diabetes and Chair of DTN UK, said. “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.”
Professor 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 Glooko’s 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.