Clinicians estimate that one out of every ten people in Europe will
develop type-2 diabetes at some stage in their life. That is some
50 to 60 million EU citizens! A new system pioneered within the
M2DM project promises to make the steps of diabetes self-diagnosis,
communication and effective treatment radically simpler.
Diabetes sufferers need to constantly watch their blood sugar
levels to maintain a reasonable quality of life. Failure can lead
to unconsciousness and even death. Yet often one of the greatest
obstacles to the effective self-management of treatments is the
difficulty of supplying personal data to the supervising medical
department.
The M2DM project (Multi-Access Services for telematic Management of
Diabetes Mellitus) is applying the latest ICT techniques to the
issue of checking blood sugar levels, communicating the results and
obtaining treatment recommendations.
Flexible telemedicine and information service
An IST project, M2DM aims to provide diabetic patients and
healthcare providers with a flexible voice and data communication
service that increases the quality of care by improving
communication between patients and caregivers. The basis of the
system is a multi-access server that makes use of both Web-based
and CTI (Computer Telephone Integration) technologies. The result
for users is an easy-to-use, online and cost-effective access to
telemedicine and information services.
The diabetic uses a simple handheld device to prick his/her thumb
and obtain a tiny sample of blood. The device measures the sugar
content of the sample and displays it on the inbuilt LCD screen.
The diabetic connects the device to a special modem, which connects
and uploads the blood sugar measurement to the central server, all
at the push of a button.
At the other end of the system, the healthcare provider logs on to
a special Web page that displays the latest measurement on screen,
checks it against that diabetic's existing blood sugar data and
recommends the appropriate adjustment in medication. He/she can
then send a message to the 'Home' page of the diabetic, who reads
it and adjusts the medication accordingly.
M2DM also provides a voice alternative to the data communication
methods described above, in which a touchtone phone can connect to
a telephone messaging system that allows the user to log in, leave
voice messages for the caregiver and collect any messages in return.
Improving quality of life
The distinguishing feature of the system piloted within the M2DM
project is its ability to manage the knowledge necessary for
effective treatment and control of diabetes in such a way that the
right information is provided to both diabetic and caregiver at the
right time. This simple advance brings huge benefits to both sides
of the patient/caregiver relationship.
Says Professor Mario Stefanelli, M2DM project manager, "We've had a
lot of feedback from patients using the service - they can save
time because they have answers back from the caregivers in a much
shorter period. It takes time to develop the right treatment for
each patient, so what the system means is a great reduction in the
time needed to improve the patient's quality of life."
Thus the diabetic is able, within a relatively short time, to
settle down to a fulfilling life knowing that he/she is obtaining
the right treatment for the disease at that moment. For the
caregiver, the advantage lies in the enormous amount of time saved
that would otherwise be spent on booking appointments, coping with
delays from patient travel, secretarial liaison, etc.
Powerful analysis tools
The M2DM project consortium comprised both technical and clinical
partners, all of which participated in the design and development
of the system. This broad range of expertise has shown up, for
example, in the facilities supplied to the healthcare provider.
When analysing the patient data, the caregiver can examine the data
in table form or via easy-to-scan graphics such as pie charts.
Caregivers can analyse, for each patient, blood sample data against
other samples for that same day, against samples supplied for the
same time on other days, and so on. In this way a detailed picture
can be drawn up about an individual patient's blood sugar over a
period of time, enabling the caregiver to recommend the correct
medication doses with a very high level of accuracy.
While the project is now completed, the system is being tested with
patients by nine specialist medical departments across the EU.
Subject Descriptors : Communications networks, Information transmission
Subject Index Codes : Telecommunications, Information Processing, Information
Systems
Subject Class : IT, telecommunications
Remarks : Results entry form
Collaboration Sought : Further research or development support, Information
exchange/Training
Sources of Support : CEC
Programmes : IST
Projects : IST-1999-10315
Project Title : Multi-Access Services for telematic Management of Diabetes
Mellitus
Contact Details
Contact Name : STEFANELLI, Mario (Prof)
Department : Parvia University
Contact Organisation : CBIM (Consorzio di Bioingegneria e Informatica)
Address : Via Strada Nuova 65
City : Parvia
Region : LOMBARDIA
Pavia
Postcode : 27100
Country : ITALY
Telephone Number : +39-038-2505354
Fax Number : +39-038-2505373
Electronic Mailbox : mstefa@aim.unipv.it
