Healthcare Sector Suppliers’ Collaboration Could Save Millions from Diabetes

Telehealth Solutions is working with Axis-Shield to help catch diabetes and pre-diabetes sooner and enhance care for diabetic patients.

A key factor in detecting and fighting diabetes is measuring blood sugar but much more important is a chemical called ‘HbA1c’. Its level in the bloodstream could help indicate average blood sugar levels over a long period of time. A normal blood sugar measurement can seem healthy, if taken at a certain time, when in fact it’s been dangerously high at other times. HBA1c, on the other hand, tells a doctor accurately what the average blood sugar level was for the past 8 weeks.

Axis-Shield and Telehealth Solutions can now help the NHS to take a quick and accurate HbA1c measurement almost anywhere, sending the results instantly to a GP. This means that a person at risk from diabetes can now have a much better chance of it being caught sooner and a better chance at preventing amputation, chronic kidney disease and blindness.

Telehealth Solutions’ Executive Chairman, Jeremy Cummin said, ‘In the 20^th century vaccines were used to save millions from an otherwise avoidable death by infectious disease. In the 21^st century, I believe point-of-care testing could be used to potentially save millions from an otherwise avoidable death by cardiovascular disease.’

Posted on Friday, 24 September 2010 under Home Pod