Following the initial success of the agenda cards and the diabetes coach prototypes, the healthcare professionals involved in the Design Council’s health project have begun to find ways of developing each solution within a clinical context.
With the support of Bolton Primary Care Trust, they have formed a group called BOND (Bolton New Deal) to help drive a new diabetes healthcare agenda for the community, and to undertake a more in-depth evaluation of the prototypes.
Starting with the agenda cards, the BOND team, supported by the Design Council, has involved five GP practices, four diabetes nurses and nine patients to undertake an initial study of the proposed system.
Initial feedback from this study has been good, with both patients and practitioners reporting positive results. Initial feedback from the study suggests that using the agenda cards doesn’t increase the length of appointments, and that by helping patients to focus on the real issues, sessions are often more productive.
This will give way to a two year clinical study, involving 15 GP practices and 250 patients.
‘This clinical study will provide vital qualitative and quantitative information about how exactly the cards work in a clinical context, and whether they offer long-term benefits to patients,’ explains Nick Morton at the Design Council. ‘GP practices have signed up to the pilot by choice, and the fact that so many are willing to get involved is a measure of their enthusiasm for the ideas and the potential it holds for diabetes and other chronic care.’
Crucially, the health project and the BOND team have won the support of hospitals, clinical groups, acute trusts, government special advisors and the commercial sector. This support will prove vital as the BOND team works to develop the clinical study and looks to developing the agenda cards further and potentially studying the diabetes coach concept.
‘The agenda cards represent level one support, to help patients manage their condition with clinical staff and their carers or families,’ explains Morton. ‘Some patients may require additional support which can be provided through the introduction of a diabetes coach to help patients in times of need. Understanding this next level of support will form part of the two year clinical trial and the BOND team hopes to identify funding to take this part of the project forward.'
