Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), part of Mubadala’s integrated network of healthcare providers, is giving patients more control over managing their disease with the launch of a mobile app.
The ICLDC app, which went live in September, includes access to personal medical information such as test results, targets, diagnosis, medication, and to a range of educational material. From managing hospital appointments, to finding recipes to plan healthy-but-tasty meals, the interactive platform is giving a new sense of freedom to people living with the burden of chronic disease.
“The app empowers patients by giving them instant access to information, both in terms of their personal treatment, and the general information that helps them manage their day-to-day lives, so they can stay happy and healthy,” said Lawrence Patrick, CEO of ICLDC. “It makes the burden of disease a little easier to carry, so they are more likely to maintain the lifestyle and treatment regime that keeps chronic disease under control.”
The ICLDC app is part of a growing market for mobile health innovations, often referred to as mHealth, using the functionality of smart devices to support self-care. Apple recently made headlines by integrating advanced heart tracking capabilities including an electrocardiogram (ECG) function into the latest Series 4 Apple Watch, as well as fall detection capabilities.
What distinguishes the ICDLC app from other diabetes management apps is its connection with the hospital, integrating healthy living with personal medical care. The app includes reminders to book regular appointments, will help patients make the booking and manage the visit, even sending an alert to the phone when the doctor is ready to see them.
“Digitalisation is transforming the way we keep and use information in healthcare, making it easier to share patient data between doctors, to build a comprehensive and accurate record of care over time, and giving patients more power to view their own history,” said Abdulla Al Shamsi, Head of Mubadala Healthcare.
“This kind of tech is now becoming the norm for any hospital that aspires to provide world-class care. What sets ICLDC apart is that the app is both hospital specific and disease specific, so it reaches a higher level of personalisation. We think this sets a benchmark for applying mHealth to improve the patient experience.”
The ICLDC app is available in both Arabic and English. It can be downloaded from the App Store for iPhone or the Google Play store for Android, but only accessed using login credentials provided by ICLDC.