Roche Diagnostics Prevents Diabetes with Connected Care
In 2014, diabetes took 4.9 million lives worldwide. That’s one death every seven seconds.
November 14 is World Diabetes Day, a 24 hour block dedicated to raising awareness for this disease, however, fundraising lasts yearlong. Soon the Tour De Cure, a series of fundraising cycling events, will take place in the United States. SAP has two teams participating—one on each coast. If you want to support this great cause and have some fun, check out the Tour De Cure website and look for a team in your area.
A Worldwide Concern
This infographic by idf.org outlines the impact of diabetes by continent. The complete chart shows that 52 million Europeans are living with diabetes. In Germany alone, there are 6 to 8 million documented cases and the number is projected to grow.
Type 1 and Type 2
Diabetes occurs in two different types: 1 and 2, and they are both equally as deadly. In type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Without insulin to normalize blood sugars, the body can suffer in many ways including damaged eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart disease (diabetesresearch.org).
Type 2 occurs when a body fails to use insulin properly, usually triggered by an unhealthy lifestyle. At first, the pancreas over produces insulin to regulate blood glucose levels, but over time, the pancreas exhausts, and without lifestyle changes, oral medications, and insulin, type 2 diabetes can grow more severe. Type 2 diabetes is a major cause of heart attack and stroke.
New Preventative Connected Care Offering
With increased exercise and a conscience diet, Type 2 diabetes can be managed and even reversed. German-based Roche Diagnostics is dedicated to driving personalized and preventative medicine, and with the severity of diabetes on the forefront of focus, Roche, in partnership with SAP, created new preventative care package. The bundle, called Accu-Chek View, includes a blood glucose monitor, a wearable fitness tracker, and an app developed by SAP that are all integrated together.
With Accu-CheckView, the patient can monitor glucose levels at home and transmit the information to the doctor’s office via the app. All data transferred is securely stored and processed via the SAP HANA Cloud Platform.
Crafted to Satisfy Doctor and Patient
This app is targeted to meet the individual needs of both patients and doctors. Because the patient’s vital signs and blood sugar level can be watched in relation to their physical activity level, in real-time, the doctor can monitor the patient remotely, and the patient can communicate with the doctor’s office. This eliminates unnecessary trips to the physician, saving time and money. In 2014, the global diabetes expenditure reached US $612 billion. In the future, with connected care offerings like Accu-ChekView, this number will hopefully decrease.
In addition, the strengthened patient-doctor relationship created by the app facilitates a supportive and empowering psychological effect on patients. For instance, slip-ups in lifestyle can be caught quickly because the app will red-flag the issue, the doctor can intervene, and the doctor and patient can work on solutions together.
Learn more about the app by watching this video interview:
Importance of Healthy Living
Even pre-diabetics can benefit from this preventative care app. By using the app to detect the early signs of diabetes, individuals can make the changes necessary to live a normal life.
This Wednesday April 29th, Dr. Oliver Haferbeck, Head of Diabetes Care at Roche Diagnostics will be part of a live panel on the Coffee Break with Game Changers Radio. Listen to the discussion titled, MD in the Palm of your Hand – Connected Care, and tune in live at 11 AM EST. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter via #SAPRadio.
Learn more about Roche Diagnostics and its journey with SAP by clicking here.
To learn more about SAP and its dedication to improving healthcare, take a look at this infographic.
To learn how SAP HANA Cloud Platform can impact your business, click here.
Christine, thank you for this comprehensive article about diabetes and SAP's role in developing the app used with the Roche system. Two points I want to add are that type 1 diabetes requires insulin and cannot be reversed or slowed by lifestyle changes. And type 2 diabetes is brought on by being over-weight, but sometimes it just happens for other reasons we don't fully understand.
The article is great in the explanation of how the system integrates the communication between doctors and patients. That's huge especially for newly diagnosed patients.
The next step is the creation of an insulin pump for type 1 diabetics that can transmit details about insulin dosage and blood glucose sensor readings, and integrate that with a smart phone app. This way, the patient can enter much more detail about food, exercise or other events that might help explain a blood sugar pattern.
Hi David,
Thanks for your comment and for adding important details. I would love to hear more about Roche's future plans for Accu-Check View and hopefully report back will a follow up blog in the future. I'm looking forward to their session at SAPPHRIE next Tuesday. 🙂
I will not be at SAPPHIRE in person but plan to tune into the Roche session thanks to your
blog. Keep it up.
Thanks Christine for the article! I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 45 years so I thought I would weigh in on a few items.
*Diabetes technology - Very exciting field and developments! My life has been changed by this technology. When I was diagnosed, we tested our urine to see what our blood sugar might be. If you tested orange, it was High. How high was not a question we could answer! Now, I wear an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor that communicate with each other. I do a blood stick about 8 times a day to calibrate. The data, including exercise, diet and stress info, is very downloadable. However, it is also overwhelming and often not predictable or consistent. Roche's approach of connecting the doctors and patients with the data sounds exciting to me. I will definitely try any approach that might help!
*Cure - It is elusive, but its out there somewhere! I participate in rides such as the Tour de Cure in the hope of someone solving this complex diabetes problem for good!
Go Team SAP! all donations and good wishes accepted 😎
Tour de Cure: American Diabetes Association: 2015 Silicon Valley Tour de Cure
*Type 1 diabetes - True, it cannot be reversed. But lifestyle changes do truly slow the damage it can have on the body. I am living proof of this - cycling has been a gift to my body. Many in my long-term status are no longer with us.
*Type 2 diabetes - Lifestyle is one of the causes, but genetic predisposition is another big factor. Also, it is a large burden of guilt. Since diabetes can cause and exasperate depression as well, I would present a more complete picture.
Happy health to all, Cheryl
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks so much for your comment. I really appreciate your input and added details. I also like the point you make about guilt and will definitely be more sensitive to the topic in any future publications.
I'm also ecstatic to hear your awesome story about cycling and how it's changed your life.
Good luck on the Tour de Cure!
Thanks so much! I wish I could go to SAPPHIRE to see Roche's presentation on Tuesday. I will definitely read any blogs about it!