Reminder to pass on glucose value
Karin Dekker – de Vries, diabetes nurse at Maasstad Hospital, explains: “It is important to keep a close eye on the gestational diabetes of pregnant women and to be able to intervene if necessary. Glucose should be well controlled during pregnancy to avoid complications during pregnancy. A pregnant woman therefore regularly measures her glucose value and passes it on to the hospital.”
This has been done via the Home Measurement app for some time now. Patient Sevinc has gestational diabetes and has been working with this app for a few weeks now: “There are promotions ready for me every week. I measure my glucose value and enter it. I don’t have to do anything else, my values automatically arrive at the hospital.”
To intervene or not
A hospital nurse will receive a notification if a pregnant woman enters a glucose value that is below or above the value it may be. The nurse then takes appropriate action. Karin explains: “Then we ensure, for example, that the dietician contacts the patient. If the value remains abnormal, we as diabetes nurses contact the patient by telephone to start taking insulin, for example.”
Sevinc is already completely used to remote care and works well with the nurses: “When I measure and enter my value, I often already know whether it is good or not. In the beginning I was called to discuss that I should inject more units of insulin. Now I usually get a chat message telling me to do this again. Then I already know enough.”
Own control over care
For Sevinc, the app also provides an overview: “In the app I can see an overview of which day I had which glucose values. I like to be able to find that again.” By entering values themselves, patients are actively trying to gain control over their gestational diabetes.
In addition, patients use the BeterDichtbij app to communicate with the healthcare provider. This digital contact saves the patient a lot of time: “I can chat directly with the care providers and do not have to call or make an appointment. I work in youth care with young people who are in crisis situations. It is not always possible to answer my phone when the hospital calls. Being able to communicate quickly via BeterDichtbij is a real godsend for me, because I can do this at a time that suits me.” And that can even be on vacation: “I started injecting insulin just before my vacation and agreed that I would inject higher units if my values were too high. I was able to coordinate this very easily during my vacation.”
With home monitoring, for example, patients can also take their measurements while on the road and enter them in the Home Measurement app.
All patients with gestational diabetes are eligible for home monitoring via the Home Measurement app. It is important that the patient is digitally skilled.
The Right Care in the Right Place
Maasstad Hospital wants patients to receive the right care in the right place. Monitoring patients remotely via the Home Measurement app is part of this, because some care can also take place at home. This is more pleasant for the patient and frees up space and time in the hospital for people who can only be helped there.
Currently (October 2022), Maassstad Hospital offers home monitoring to patients with: asthma, COPD, Corona, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, high blood pressure, lung cancer and gestational diabetes. In the near future, more and more patients will be able to use home monitoring.