Researchers from Singapore have not too long ago launched a cellular software that teaches diabetes sufferers about diabetic foot ulcers and self foot care.
WHAT IT DOES
Developed in session with clinicians from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and Nationwide Healthcare Group, the app known as WellFeet delivers complete affected person training by way of animations in a number of languages, together with English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil.
It additionally serves as a log and diary for sufferers, gamifying the every day monitoring of their remedy, bodily exercise, and eating regimen. This knowledge in flip permits medical doctors to observe their progress and customise their train objectives.
Moreover, the app includes a chatbot assistant for sufferers, which additionally delivers prompts for self-reflection to assist them achieve perception into their ideas and emotions, establish patterns or triggers, and finally take constructive motion to vary their behaviour or mindset.
The app was first examined in a analysis venture involving some 800 sufferers and caregivers throughout 5 healthcare establishments within the nation which probed their foot care behaviours. One other research additionally examined the app on 40 pairs of sufferers and caregivers from TTSH which later revealed constructive modifications in foot care behaviour and diabetes self-care routines after one month of app utilization.
The analysis group is now fine-tuning the app with a plan to probably combine AI and human well being teaching to supply “extra well timed and personalised assist.” It’s slated to be launched as a free-of-charge app to the general public by mid-2024. The group additionally appears to be like to collaborate with the Ministry of Well being Workplace for Healthcare Transformation and buyers to hunt assist in scaling the attain of their know-how.
WHY IT MATTERS
Diabetic foot ulcers can afflict a 3rd of sufferers dwelling with diabetes. When left untreated, it might result in decrease limb amputation and enhance the danger of demise. It additionally has a excessive reoccurrence price, additional burdening sufferers with recurring prices of remedy.
In line with the WellFeet analysis group led by Nanyang Technological College, current apps for diabetes sufferers available in the market don’t embody training and generally deal with measuring ulcer development.
Affected person training, they stated, is an important part of efficient prevention. What units their app aside is how training is delivered by way of animations in a number of languages, catering to multi-ethnic populations.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Podimetrics from america is a longtime participant within the diabetic foot monitoring area with its linked platform known as SmartMat.
An analogous monitoring know-how has been developed by researchers from New Zealand not too long ago. Dubbed FootSense, the system measures irregularities within the temperature of sufferers with Kind 2 diabetes to detect early indicators of foot problems.
