Virtual Diabetes Care Shows Promising Result: Early Look at Blood Sugar Control and Medication Use among Reliance HMO enrollees

Summary of a pilot study on Platos Diabetes Care for Reliance HMO enrollees

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness and economic benefits of Platos, a virtual platform for chronic disease management, in managing diabetes for Reliance HMO enrollees.

Methods

This is a prospective longitudinal study. Enrollees of Reliance HMO with confirmed diabetes were informed about the program and those interested were referred to Platos for online consultations with a multidisciplinary team. Patients monitored their blood sugar, weight, and medication use through the Platos Monitor app and received guidance from a virtual coach. HbA1c was measured at baseline and after 3 months.

Results

Twelve patients started the program, and four completed 3 months of care. Findings include:

Reduced HbA1c: HbA1c levels showed improvement for the three patients who completed 3 months, with one achieving recommended glycemic control.

Reduced Fasting blood sugar: The average fasting blood sugar of the four patients who completed 12 weeks decreased by 12%.

Weight loss: The total weight of patients under treatment decreased by 4 kg over 12 weeks.

Reduced medication use: The total insulin dosage needed by patients decreased by 15%. Two patients achieved significant reductions (43% and 20%) in insulin use.

Cost savings: The reduced medication use resulted in estimated cost savings of over 88,000 Naira for the patients over 3 months.

Reduced emergency events: None of the enrollees experienced diabetes emergencies during the study, compared to one hospitalization before starting the program.

Limitations

The small sample size (4 patients completing 3 months) is a limitation. New enrollees who started later were not followed long enough to be included in this report. HbA1c for some patients was estimated using a formula instead of direct measurement to reduce costs.

Conclusion

Platos Diabetes Care showed promising results in improving glycemic control, reducing medication use, and potentially reducing healthcare costs for Reliance HMO enrollees. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm these findings.

You can read the full manuscript here.