Appalachian Clinic Chronic Patient Education Solutions

Storyboard Organizer

Mobile Clinics—Appalachian RegionThe Foundation had two mobile medical clinics (this picture is generic for this class). Each clinic has a permanent staff that travels a set route each month. This offers the patients the stability of knowing their healthcare professionals and being assured that the same day and time each month they can see their medical team.

Need—Diabetes is a Chronic Disease with a higher incidence in Appalachia

• The people of Appalachia have a higher percentage afflicted with diabetes than any other group whether in the region or in other parts of the country (Ludke, 2009).

• Diabetes has a negative stigma attached to it by the people.

• Without proper care, side effects can be serious and/or deadly.

• Caregivers, family members, as well as the patients need education in proper care.

Need—(continued)

• Type II—Adult Onset Diabetes is the most prevalent, but Type I—Juvenile Diabetes is also found.

• Patient Education, Monitoring, and Education of Family and Caregivers is essential to long-term management of the disease.

• Stigma of lack of self control, laziness, and idleness are attached with diabetes.

• , “40 to 80 percent of medical info provided by doctors and practitioners is forgotten almost instantaneously. Pamphlets are static and confusing, and get discarded quickly” (Empson, 2014).

Need (continued)

• Past efforts have been unsuccessful and patient personal care has suffered.

• Diabetes is a “unique chronic disease in which the decisions most affecting the health and well-being of patients are made by the patients themselves” (Dyer, 2013).

• One-on-one counseling with medical staff involving patients, family, and caregivers has included:– Brochures– Printed Fact Sheets– Provision of Daily Log Books– Various other books and pamphlets

GlookoGlooko Meter Sync is the product and system that has been found to help solve the problem. The device will read blood sugar levels from 30 different blood glucose meters and transfer the information to applications available on Android and iOS systems. Applications available on these phone systems will also allow the patients and caregivers the opportunity to also input medication information, heart, diet, O2 levels, and various other facts that when transmitted to medical personnel, will allow them to remotely monitor patient conditions that might herald dangerous situations that if cared for immediately, might save the patient a trip to the Emergency Room or potential devastating side effects.

Glooko (continued)

• There is currently a high percentage of people in these regions that have Android or iOS devices.

• Applications for patient care and monitoring are readily available.

• Patient, family, and caregiver education can be delivered via mobile devices.

• By monitoring the various elements in their care, patient’s are empowered to help care for themselves.

RESEARCH

Now we know the problem and we think we have a solution, what is the research behind this solution?

Research

• Jennifer Shine Dyer, M.D. conducted a study and on the effects of “Pattern Management or the systematic approach to help patients identify patterns in their own blood glucose readings to determine whether changes are needed to optimize their glucose control” (Dyer, 2013).

Research (continued)

• Dr. Dyer looked at seventeen studies that used the “systematic telemonitoring of adults with diabetes” (Dyer, 2013) and they each showed that adults with diabetes who used the devices consistently were found to “have a positive impact on patient and clinician behavior” (Dyer, 2013).

• Glooko, the system this project will investigate, uses “structured monitoring (which) puts patients in charge of their diabetes” (Dyer, 2013).

• Patients that used this system tended to use fewer test strips, achieved lower A1C (long-term control) levels, and had more confidence in their own care.

DEVELOPMENT

“We are a team dedicated to helping people with diabetes live life while effortlessly managing their diabetes (Glooko, 2014).”

Development

• “In June 2010, Yogen Dalal, Sundeep Madra, and Chamath Palihapitiya conceived the idea behind Glooko because each one of them was touched by diabetes in a meaningful way. Since then Glooko has become an innovative Silicon Valley company that delivers a mobile and cloud based, diabetes & chronic disease management system. We strive to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes and reduce the costs associated with diabetes population management. Glooko is dedicated to bringing innovation to diabetes management around the world” (Glooko, 2014).

COMMERCIALIZATION

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is affects a large percentage of the American population. It costs billions of dollars a year to treat and is

constantly in the medical and medical-research news.

Commercialization

• Glooko has a corporate website, https://glooko.com/ where the item and the attending applications for Android and iOS devices are available.

• The site has a patient portal where additional information is available.

• The website has the provider’s portal where medical personnel can find additional applications for patient care and tracking.

• Patient, family, and caregiver educational applications would be provided through the Foundation as well as the devices. Each device is about 30 USD.

Works Cited

• Dyer, J. S. (2013). Effects of Consumer-Facing Technologies on Patient Engagement, Behavior Change, and Type 2 Diabetes-Related Health Outcomes. Diabetes Spectrum, 98-101.

• Empson, R. (2014, March 25). YC-Backed CareMessage is On a Mission to Improve Health Literacy by Bringing Mobile Healthcare to the Underserved. Retrieved from TechCrunch.com: http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/25/y-combinator-backed-caremessage-is-on-a-mission-to-improve-health-literacy-by-bringing-mobile-healthcare-to-the-underserved/

• Glooko, Inc. (2014). Retrieved from Glooko: https://glooko.com/ • Ludke, R. L. (2012). An Appalachian Neighborhood's Response to

Diabetes. Journal of Appalachian Studies, 176-188.• Smith, S. L. (2008). Cultural perspectives on diabetes in an Appalachian

population. American Journal of Health Behavior, 291-301.