The Healthy Lifestyles team have demonstrated how video improves confidence in diabetes self-management first hand.
By making informative videos easily accessible for patients, they have helped people with diabetes manage their care at home. This should also relieve pressure on local support groups.
Healthy Living with type 2 diabetes sessions had low attendance
The Healthy Lifestyles team at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust run a group session for people living with type 2 diabetes.
This course consists of two three-hour sessions. These give patients the information, motivation and skills they need to manage their condition effectively.
GPs refer recently diagnosed patients to this programme. However, end-of-year results showed that only 59% of those referred agreed to take part. Additionally, only 79% of attendees went on to complete the entire programme.
This suggests that many newly diagnosed patients were not receiving the training they needed to effectively manage their condition.
The Healthy Lifestyles team had to find a way to connect with these individuals, otherwise, they could experience complications that cause extended hospital stays, costly treatments and more.
By acting pre-emptively, the team could significantly reduce the cost to the HS as well as improve patient’s confidence in diabetes self-management.
What did the Healthy Lifestyles team decide to do?
The lowest number of attendees came from within the 25-60 age group. This was usually because they didn’t have time to go to the session or they didn’t feel it was right for them.
The team identified that digital technology, video and a related app could encourage self-management in younger service users. So they decided to collaborate with Health & Care Videos to produce a series of diabetes-related information videos.
They produced 13 videos in total, covering:
- Introduction to diabetes
- Possible complications
- Diet management
- Importance of physical activity
- Regular health check-up requirements
- Looking after your feet
All of these can be accessed through the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust website. However, the team used these videos in two ways:
1. Diabetes Educational Clinical Trial
Health & Care Videos took the key learning points from the original 6-hour training programme and converted them into video format.
These videos were used to assist the group education services through this trial. They helped develop an efficient digital infrastructure that allowed the team to deliver an online video programme and give support to online patients.
Initially, these videos were offered to patients who had declined the group offer and as a patient-led option for new referrals. The team sent non-attendees video links via email.
The response was very positive; many agreed that video improves confidence in diabetes self-management, as well as their understanding of the condition.
“The videos are very clear, and they also help hold people’s concentration as they are a change of format and a different way of getting the information across rather than it all coming from the deliverer.” Sarah Henwood, Health Improvement Practitioner
2. Patient Journey App – Healthy Living with type 2 diabetes
The 13 videos were the core educational resource of a patient journey app.
A series of patients were prescribed the app if they were at risk of type 2 diabetes or had been recently diagnosed.
This app supplemented the information given by their practitioner. As well as watching the videos, the user could also complete written information quizzes, receive relevant push notifications and follow links to external resources, such as the Diabetes UK website.
This app is now available on iTunes, Google Play or the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust website.
How video improves confidence in diabetes self-management
These videos enabled the team to offer accessible and easily understandable advice. It also helped the Healthy Lifestyle’s team reach the 25-60 age range that couldn’t attend the face-to-face programme.
The accessibility of the app was really helpful for patients, as was its portability. Also, if they ever had any queries, they could simply look at their smartphone.
Through close evaluation, we also found that video improves confidence in diabetes self-management.
- 100% of users found the videos helpful
- 73% of users said they would use the app again
This is great news for the Healthy Lifestyle’s team. Increased patient confidence means that people will be able to care for their condition at home, therefore increasing capacity for more urgent cases.
If you are interested in seeing how video improves confidence in diabetes self-management and other areas, talk to the Health & Care Videos team today.
Comments are closed.