Diabetes Patients Receive Improved Care at the Royal Free

The networking and data management capabilities of Roche Accu-Chek® Inform II blood glucose meters connected to cobas® IT 1000 have allowed the Point of Care Testing (POCT) and diabetes teams at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust to innovate their approach to governance and patient management. With over 100 meters installed throughout the Royal Free Hospital, the fully connected Roche blood glucose solution has helped the trust to address many QIPP challenges and improve diabetes care.

“We wanted to be able to capture data and have a full audit trail for each patient’s tests and results, ” commented trust POCT Coordinator, Gill Hall. “Our previous blood glucose meters were not networked so data had to be captured and collated manually, which was time consuming and left room for error. When we looked for a software and hardware solution that would best meet our needs, the Roche Accu-Chek Inform II blood glucose meters, connected to the Roche cobas® IT 1000 data management solution, was the combination that came out on top for us.”

“The ability to capture and manage data electronically is an enormous benefit when it comes to quality and governance,” Gill continued. “Accreditation bodies, such as Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA), the Care Quality Commission and the NHS Litigation Authority all require accurate records surrounding the use of POCT equipment and operators. cobas IT 1000 allows us to access information from all connected devices immediately on screen.”

“Previously, we would have to look at patient notes or rely on referrals to identify patients that require intervention, but now cobas IT 1000 gives us oversight of the entire hospital,” said lead nurse for diabetes, Ruth Miller. “It informs our ward rounds and helps us to make informed patient management decisions. We can see if a patient, anywhere in the hospital, has had more than one hypo- or hyperglycaemic reading and we can target intervention immediately for an improved patient outcome that may reduce their hospital stay.”

To find out more about how you can improve your workflow with Roche fully connected blood glucose solution, visit the Roche website.