Digostics
Digital clinical diagnostics and diabetes home testing provider Digostics and Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), announced today a partnership that will see the Trust become the latest maternity services provider to extend new remote oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) to all expectant mothers who are at risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
The collaboration will involve the full implementation of GTT@home, the world’s first commercially available home use oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the only alternative to traditional clinic-based testing.
GDM currently impacts up to 20% of UK pregnancies, with background risk factors including the body mass index, age and ethnicity of the expectant mother. Undiagnosed or untreated, GDM can lead to complications during pregnancy including premature birth, preeclampsia (which causes high blood pressure) and increased growth of the baby.
Professor Ranjit Akolekar, Consultant in Fetal Medicine and the Trust’s Medical Director of Women’s Care, said: “GDM risks are reduced if the condition is detected early and well managed so it’s really important that we make testing as easy as possible for all at-risk women. Traditional testing requires the expectant mother to travel to a scheduled hospital appointment and have two separate blood tests two hours apart. However, appointments may be missed due to the time required to complete the test, or unforeseen circumstances. Hospital space is also required to host the clinics as well as maternity, phlebotomy, laboratory and clerical staff time at different stages of the test.
“GTT@home allows pregnant women to carry out the test at home, at a time that is convenient to them, meaning the test can be carried out without delay, treatment can be started earlier and managed if gestational diabetes is detected to help keep both mum and baby safe, and precious NHS staff and resources are freed up saving both time and money.”
Digostics
Digostics says that OGTT is the gold standard in diabetes detection and the only recommended test for diagnosing GDM. It is undertaken between weeks 24 and 28 of gestation or earlier if the mother has received a positive diagnosis in a prior pregnancy. With GTT@home, women assessed as needing an OGTT by their midwife will receive a test kit in the post containing everything they need to complete their OGTT remotely. The test kit includes the novel GTT@home test device, finger prickers to provide blood samples, a preformulated glucose drink and test instructions
Previous pilots of GTT@home have contributed to greatly improved test accessibility, with all women being tested within their target test window, high scores for test kit and device usability and universal preference from expectant mother and maternity staff users alike.
James Jackson, inventor of GTT@home and Chief Executive and founder of Digostics which makes the remote test, said: “We are thrilled to work with Medway NHS Foundation Trust to offer home gestational diabetes screening to all at-risk women under their care. Prior trials, together with multilingual provision for non-English speakers, gives us a high level of confidence that we can reach and screen key patient groups through GTT@home.
“Because the test device analyses both blood samples immediately, the technology also eliminates the risk of sample degradation that can occur between sampling and laboratory analysis with clinic-based testing, leading to missed cases of GDM.”
Read more: GDM remote test screening trial suggests positive results
Extensively user-tested guidance is given in the form of simplified instructions and device visual and audio cues. The test is also complemented by video guides, website test FAQs and 6am to 6pm, 7 days-a-week online and telephone support. Non-English language versions of the test kit and supporting media are also available to ensure full inclusivity and maximise test uptake. On completing the test, the user can instantly share their test data with their care team for review using the near field communication functionality (NFC) within the GTT@home test device and their mobile phone, via the GTT@home mobile application.
Kate Harris, the Trust’s Associate Director of Midwifery and Ambulatory Gynaecology said: “Our aim is to embrace digital technology so we can provide high quality care. The introduction of GTT@home is helping us to achieve this as our community midwives, who would have managed the workload associated with the traditional clinic-based test, can now focus more of their time and expertise on other critical areas of antenatal and postnatal care.”
Patient groups most at risk of developing GDM are disproportionately represented in those missed by clinic-based screening programmes. The partnership will also see the two parties collaborate on research designed to further improve gestational diabetes screening and deliver new insights in the management of diabetes in pregnancy.
Claire Rosten, Innovation Manager for Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex said: “Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex are delighted to provide innovator support to companies like Digostics which have a focus on improving the lives of women. Collaborations such as these will help ensure better health outcomes for women, improve access to care and make a real difference to health equity,”
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
