Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust DSN, Michelle Denyer DSN, Beth Cooper DSN, Joanne Hulme DSN, Clare Reynolds 10 February 2016 Florence, or Flo for short, is a simple but effective messaging system that is enhancing the care of patients with diabetes living in North Derbyshire who are referred to the Derbyshire Community Health Service (DCHS) Community Diabetes Team, The Community Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSNs), Michelle Denyer, Beth Cooper, Joanne Hulme and Clare Reynolds, are at the forefront of this development, embracing technology to extend the reach of the service and more importantly strengthen the relationships that exist between patient and clinician in the pursuit of improved patient outcomes and the promotion of patient self-care. The DSN’s will be the first to agree that the road to success can often be challenging but it has been because of their hard work, dedication and vision that Flo is growing across Derbyshire with evidence continuing to emerge from patients, that they are managing their diabetes better than before. The DSN’s work alongside the Derbyshire Florence System Administrator in developing clinical and non-clinical protocols to suit the needs of their patients whilst broadening the available resources that the community diabetes team has to engage with patients about their condition. Promoting Patient Self careFor a patient with diabetes, testing their blood sugar levels regularly at home is often recommended as it is an important tool in managing their treatment plan and preventing the development and exacerbation of long-term complications.Michelle, for instance, identified patients who demonstrated poor compliance with glucose testing and control to use Florence. Florence offered the patient timely prompts to test their glucose level regularly as well as giving patients a quick and convenient way of sharing their readings with Michelle.
Medication is another important part of a patients treatment plan. Some patients worry and become very anxious about medication, particularly if they are newly diagnosed with Diabetes and concerned about establishing new routines and behaviours. Florence is ideally placed to remind patients to take their medication.
The team continues to use ‘Florence’ to enhance diabetes management and it has changed the way care is delivered. They have found that it can reduce the number of patient appointments. Notably there has been a reduction in follow-up appointments for newly diagnosed patients when Florence supports the remote monitoring of patients’ blood glucose levels. Florence allows for earlier clinical intervention and guidance without the need for an appointment. As time goes on patients become more relaxed and energised learning to control their condition without feeling like the condition is controlling them. Set-up and monitoring patientsOnce a protocol (support for the shared clinical management plan) has been applied to a patient, Florence delivers the agreed messages to the patient as scheduled. Each of the diabetes nurses now only needs to monitor patient’s progress and can intervene in a timely manner, making minor adjustments to the patient’s protocol as the patient’s condition changes.Final thoughtsThe DCHS Community Diabetes Team feel that the Florence system has the potential to be used in other local health community settings to deliver real improvements to the lives of patients and enhance the delivery of care as a whole.@dchstrust Views & Downloads (Membership required) #TotallyUnique |