J.B. is a 42-year-old diabetic patient with a ten-year history of the disease. His medical record reveals infrequent doctor visits, irregular medication, sporadic commitment to a diabetic-friendly diet and exercise plan, which he blames on his stressful job and family responsibilities.
He visits his treating physician once in three-to-four months, and each visit reveals varying results in his weight, diet, blood sugar and state of mind. As a result, his Hb1AC or quarterly blood sugar results show a reading of 7 per cent or more. He is the perfect example of a non-compliant diabetic patient. There are thousands of people like J.B. in the UAE whose erratic diabetic management is a cause for worry. Improving patient compliance is at the heart of a successful diabetic management programme.
PRIME Healthcare Group leads this field by launching a comprehensive, holistic and inclusive intervention initiative called the Falak Tayyeb Remote Chronic Disease Management Programme. It is based on PRIME’s core values of patient-centredness, advanced treatments and evidence-based care delivered with compassion. In launching the initiative, PRIME is in step with the increasing preference for remote patient monitoring care (RPM) in the pandemic era. RPM benefits include lower readmission rates in ERs, hospitals and care facilities, measurable cost savings, enhanced quality of care, improved medication compliance, and more effective feedback.
Falak Tayyeb, meaning You Are in Safe Hands, aims to be a diabetic patient’s best ally and mentor. It offers medical guidance based on international care plans, the use of AI and big data, along with PRIME’s renowned expert care and advice to help people with diabetes take charge of their condition and lead healthy, happy lifestyles.
“PRIME Healthcare Group’s passion to be the most patient-focused healthcare entity in the UAE sees us scale new heights with the launch of Falak Tayyeb,” says Dr Jamil Ahmad, Managing Director, PRIME Healthcare Group. “This dedicated Remote Chronic Disease Management Programme harnesses the best human medical skills with big data and AI efficiencies to uphold the noblest ideals of compassion and care for our patients. It is another step in our mission to usher in a healthier tomorrow for humanity.”
The start of a rewarding journey
The programme first puts together the building blocks for an effective remote care monitoring programme. The patient’s HbA1c test (blood sugar test), other parameters, eye check-up requirements, ideal body weight and food regimen are fed into the system, and a date is fixed for each assessment.
The patient’s case history is then entrusted to a 24/7 care manager for personalised support, who provides the patient with the requisite resources such as a self-test device, a mobile app for uploading the results and education materials. A dietitian is also part of the care team and the treating physician heads the plan. The patient must regularly upload their self-assessment vitals such as blood pressure, heart rate, pulse rate, SPO2 (blood oxygen saturation), temperature and blood glucose to the treating physician and care manager. The device captures the readings in real time. Based on this patient data, care managers and physicians receive alerts for a consolidated data scenario – from the device, the lab and the patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).
Leveraging technology and big data for personalised care
The role of AI and big data is in the vanguard of healthcare. Big data, which groups patients by signs, symptoms, age, gender, ratio and vital readings, is a touchstone for breakthroughs in treatment options. It helps devise customised care plans under international guidelines. Falak Tayyeb utilises these benefits to communicate with patients.
An entire ecosystem of support
In addition to primary monitoring and guidance, Falak Tayyeb also supports the patient with the following reassuring measures: alerts to the patient for medication, diet and appointments with the treating physician; alerts to care manager to speak to the patient personally to complete a pending test or post results; exclusive non-compliance and clinical alerts to doctor, care manager and patient if the readings via remote monitoring are abnormal to immediately eliminate the risk of delayed intervention; home visits for sample (blood sample) collection and medicines delivery; medical advisories and educative material to patients with follow-ups by care managers to increase engagement and safety; and economy of time and effort where the patient uploads the readings from the comfort of their home to the physician and care manager and the physician advises via an electronic chat box that sits within the arena of teleconsultation.
Falak Tayyeb
The rising statistics of diabetic complications and mortalities call for more efforts from all stakeholders to stem the lethal tide. Falak Tayyeb plays a vital role in this endeavour by offering a caring, nurturing and empathic environment for diabetic patients to manage their health optimistically.
Falak Tayyeb Remote Chronic Disease Management Programme is a yearly, membership-only subscription plan. Individuals can sign up for a nominal fee after giving consent.
However, membership for the first 100 people will be complimentary and on a first-come-first-serve basis in November. The initiative also addresses conditions such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
To learn more, email falaktayyeb@primehealth.ae
