Dubai’s GluCare Integrated Diabetes Centre has become the first healthcare provider in the UAE to receive the coveted Qismet accreditation for its diabetes programme.
The accreditation further reinforces GluCare’s innovative world-first model of care which uses wearable and connected technology, Digital Therapeutics, artificial intelligence, and a comprehensive education programme backed by clinicians and coaches to allow Remote Continuous Data Monitoring of diabetes patients.
It also means that GluCare’s diabetes program meets the standards set by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) as an effective and recommended treatment for diabetes.
The Quality Institute for Self-Management and Training, or Qismet as it is commonly known, is a UK-based not-for-profit body that develops Quality Standards defining good practice in self-management education for healthcare providers treating those with chronic conditions like diabetes.
GluCare’s Qismet accreditation is in accordance with the standards stipulated by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), meaning that GluCare’s diabetes program could, if offered in the UK, be prescribed to diabetics as a formal course of treatment by the UK’s NHS.
GluCare’s accreditation through NICE and the NHS followed a robust and thorough process making the achievement comparable to a new medication receiving regulatory approval in the UK market.
The World Health Organisation estimates that 422 million people worldwide have diabetes with 1.6 million deaths directly attributed to condition each year. The organisation also estimates that diabetes is set to grow across the region to more than 42 million people by 2030. At present, there are over 1.2 million people living with diabetes in the UAE alone.
For GluCare’s Co-Founder and Managing Director, Dr Ihsan AlMarzooqi, the accreditation means that the homegrown and technology-based model of care is not only further validated for existing or potential diabetes patients, but could also be effective within other markets: “Qismet accreditation, with its NHS and NICE compliance, not only reinforces the effectiveness of our innovative approach, it also opens up the possibility of rolling it out in other markets as a viable and valuable treatment to the hundreds of millions of people living with diabetes around the world.
“For our diabetes programme to be approved for public use in the United Kingdom’s healthcare system is a testament of how we have designed the programme, both physically and digitally, keeping the patient at the centre of everything we do.”
He added: “Since opening in September 2020, we have seen tremendous results with our initial base of patients. Under GluCare’s tech-enabled model of care, the health, wellness, and quality of life of diabetics under our care has improved dramatically. Our patients know first-hand how effective our care-model is so its fantastic to have that further supported by a leading international body like Qismet.”
With hundreds of patients currently under GluCare’s care, the Dubai-based centre will soon release the promising first round of clinical data which will highlight the effectiveness of its world-first model of care. The accreditation also follows news that GluCare was the first in the region to offer diabetes patients the Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitor, and the first in the region to implement artificial intelligence (AI) in retinal eye screenings, thanks to a partnership with Topcon Healthcare, a leading developer of diagnostic equipment for the ophthalmic community.
Opened in September 2020, GluCare Integrated Diabetes Center is the world’s first healthcare provider to empower patients through Remote Continuous Data Monitoring as part of its standard care model, and the region’s first healthcare provider to use Digital Therapeutics.
Currently accepting new patients, insurance providers currently accepted at GluCare include NAS/Neuron, AXA, Al Madallah, Mednet and Nextcare. -- Tradearabia News Service
