Galway University Hospital aims to improve integrated diabetes care

As part of a national project, a top Irish hospital aims to improve the management of diabetes care across all healthcare settings.  

Galway University Hospital is working to distribute patient medical data to multidisciplinary teams across acute and community settings.

The aim of this collaboration is to help teams deliver ‘the right care, in the right place, at the right time, by the right people’.

As an example of integrated care, people with diabetes will access the service they need primarily within the community, allowing for streamlined services delivered closer to home and with reduced costs.

Professor Sean Dinneen, Consultant Endocrinologist and local lead for the Enhanced Community Care Programme, comments: “The implementation of Hicom’s Diamond solution has meant that the community offering has been straightforward and helped people with diabetes to receive the care they need, closer to home.

“For example, in circumstance when there may be individuals who would normally attend the complex foot clinic in the hospital but can’t because of COVID and their aversion to attending hospital, they can simply see the podiatrist in the community setting as the clinician has access to all the patient data they need.”

Bernie McDonnell, Integrated Diabetes Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “Care continuity is something that we’ve seen hugely improve since using Diamond in the community setting.

“Addressing the hospital and community divide through achieving one system, one shared record across both settings means that care can be commenced in the hospital and followed up in the community as the patient record is accessible to all professionals working with that person.”