Diabetic Teams

Owned by Mohammad Al-Ubaydli
Last updated: Aug 22, 2024 by Hannah Johnson-Keck
5 min read

Introduction

Patient Knows Best (PKB) emerges as a valuable tool for patients with diabetes. PKB empowers patients to take control of their diabetes through personalized care plans. These plans are tailored with a wealth of resources and guidance on monitoring and handling their condition. By using PKB, teams can reduce unnecessary face-to-face appointments, leading to cost savings for the organisation.

Below are some of the workflows currently utilised by teams that use PKB, along with an overview of key features teams should use.

Current problems

  • Teams experience a high level of face-to-face appointments

  • Telephone conversations are lengthy

  • Teams want to provide patients with a digital care plan

  • Teams want to give patients online resources

  • Reduce appointments

  • The team want to deliver a digital PIFU pathway

PKB Solution

  • Validating waitlist via questionnaire

  • Secure messaging feature allows professionals to share information with patients

  • Patient-initiated messaging for PIFU pathways

  • Support patients waiting well with care plans and a library of resources

  • Send patients digital appointments and appointment letters

  • Validate support required by collecting data from patients to triage them ahead of interactions (care plans, questionnaires, messaging)

  • Informed consent and shared decision tool care plans

  • Access to laboratory results

  • Symptom and measurement tracker

Benefits

  • Saving time and money

  • Patients have access to information in the library

  • Patients can follow the correct treatment plans

  • Questionnaires can be triggered out to the patient

  • Laboratory results, no unnecessary phone calls to find out results

  • Improve patient engagement and satisfaction

Workflow for newly diagnosed diabetic patients

Newly diagnosed diabetic patients can benefit from having access to their PKB record, to support them to track their blood sugars, providing education and resources, access to their blood results, care plans and direct contact with their clinical team while they navigate their new diabetes.

Workflow for diabetic monitoring

Teams want patients to track and monitor any symptoms, measurements and blood results related to their diabetes using a care plan provided by the team.

Case study

Diabetes Centre, Sandwell Hospital, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, West Bromwich, UK and City Hospital Diabetes Centre, Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK

The study investigated the potential value and impact of the web-based personal health record system, Patients Know Best (PKB), on diabetes care and self-management

Results

After six months, 121 individuals with Type 1 diabetes had enrolled and used PKB. The survey respondents (50% male, 50% female, median age 45) reflected the patient population.

Key findings included

  • 73% had used PKB for over 3 months.

  • 73% found registration easy or very easy

  • 92% used secure messaging

  • 64% viewed blood test results online

  • The time-saving potential was rated 91%-95%

Personal health records like PKB are popular among people with Type 1 diabetes and have the potential to enhance their relationship with their healthcare team. To read the full case study, click here.

Key PKB features

PKB can be used in all areas of perioperative care. Below are the key featured teams already using.

Questionnaires

Patients can initiate a questionnaire by clicking Start Questionnaire on their homepage or directly within the NHS App. Once completed, the questionnaire can be sent to a professional or team.

Teams using the questionnaire tool can ensure the outcome of clinical reviews is recorded and the patient has a copy. Teams can also identify patients suitable for virtual appointments or pre-operative assessment questionnaires.

PKB's advanced questionnaire functionality

The features include:

  • Scoring and calculations

  • Branching, allowing patients to complete the parts of the questionnaire that are relevant to them

  • Coded fields questionnaires can be mapped to clinical codes

  • Patients can save drafts

  • Send questionnaires to patients who aren’t registered or already in your team

Questionnaire templates

Messaging

  • Patients have access to message their healthcare team (saving time on the phone)

  • The Admin team can triage messages. Either resolving or passing onto another speciality team

  • Team-based messaging allows teams to automatically receive secure messages and questionnaires as a group rather than as individuals.

Library

  • A wealth of resources on all diabetic conditions

  • National and local information and guidance

  • Videos

  • Hospital and organisation information

  • Medication advice

Care plans

PKB have a care plan toolkit with examples of care plan templates used by teams. There is a process for teams to amend care plans or create new ones here. A selection of care plans are below.

Journal

  • Digitalise journal

  • Pre and post-treatment or for symptoms and thoughts recording

Data

Further information