GP clusters and community nurses can improve diabetes care with on-the-spot HbA1c testing

With one person diagnosed with diabetes every three minutes in the UK⁽¹⁾, emerging GP clusters and community nurses can save time, money and deliver better standards of patient care by investing in near-patient diagnostic devices.

Incidents of diabetes are rising rapidly in the UK with 2.5 million people currently living with diabetes⁽²⁾ and the number of people newly diagnosed soaring by 50 per cent in just one year⁽³⁾.

At least twice a year, patients are required to undergo an HbA1c test, which traditionally has always been tested by a laboratory from a venous blood sample taken from the patient during a practice visit. The results are then shared with the patient several weeks later in a second review appointment.

However, there is now another option available. The market for near patient analysers is developing to help improve patient care in the community. These diagnostic devices simplify the monitoring of diseases such as diabetes by enabling on-the-spot testing, for a range of different parameters, including HbA1c.  Using point-of-care HbA1c analysers means accurate test results can be provided in a matter of minutes. This can be done in a single consultation, so patients only have to make one visit to the surgery, saving patients and the NHS time and money.  In addition, having vital test results available immediately means they can be discussed with the patient there and then. Importantly, this means any changes in the management of their condition can be implemented without delay.

Providing clinical supervision and care for diabetes patients is estimated to cost £10 million per day⁽⁴⁾. This figure accounts for five per cent of the NHS budget, with sufferers spending 1.1 million days in hospital every year⁽⁵⁾. Delivering better care and regular monitoring in the community for diabetes patients makes complete sense from a human and financial perspective.

Sue Younghusband, marketing director at Axis-Shield UK, said: “With the growing emergence of practice-based commissioning, local practices are now becoming more involved in the specification and delivery of services. By devolving management from PCTs to local practices, doctors and community nurses can assess the specific needs of both individual patients and the wider community. With the right to receive a budget for their registered patients, local surgeries can greatly improve the care of their patients in the community by investing in the appropriate diagnostic devices.”

Continuing, she said: “For local practices and community based teams that have made the decision to invest in HbA1c analysers, it is important to look for a device that is versatile and can perform as many tests as possible – making sure the practice’s return on investment is going to be realised. Afinion™ can test for HbA1c, but also performs other tests, including ACR and CRP. Identifying devices that have failsafe systems is also important in ensuring that reliable and accurate test results can be displayed at the point-of-care, meaning much less stress and anxiety for the patient.”

For more information about Afinion™, please go to: www.axis-shielduk.com

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About Axis-Shield UK

Axis-Shield UK is part of the Axis-Shield Group which develops, manufactures and distributes high quality, in-vitro diagnostic testing technologies that help improve healthcare and patient management. The company has a range of proprietary technologies and runs an active programme of development for new products that can be utilised across clinical laboratories, in hospitals or by Primary Care Trusts (PCT). The organisation manufactures key devices including Afinion^™ and Thrombotrack^™ and works with medical company Abbott to distribute i-STAT^® - a unique handheld analyser.

At the point-of-care (in hospitals or in the community), Axis-Shield’s novel, branded products can be used for the early, rapid and differential diagnosis and treatment of patients while they are present – ultimately speeding treatment times and helping to improve lives.

In the laboratory sector, Axis-Shield specialises in proprietary markers for the diagnosis and management of critical illnesses such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and rheumatoid arthritis.

Footnote:

⁽¹⁾       Diabetes UK http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News_Landing_Page/One-person-diagnosed-with-diabetes-every-three-minutes--/

⁽²⁾       Diabetes UK http://www.diabetes.org.uk/en/About_us/News_Landing_Page/Diabetes-growth-doubles-in-a-year/

⁽³⁾       Daily Mail “New diabetes victim every three minutes”, 7 January 2009

⁽⁴⁾       Diabetes UK www.diabetes.org.uk  

⁽⁵⁾       Times Online “Rising obesity will condemn one in ten Britons to diabetes by 2010”, 7 October 2004 (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article491262.ece)