Digital Health Company Droobi Shows Success in Fight Against Diabetes During Pandemic
- 5 years ago
Maha, a mom living with type 2 diabetes in Qatar, has always struggled to keep her blood sugar levels under control, but she has found it especially difficult amid the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus. “It’s hard to control diabetes while taking care of my family since we’re all at home.
I can’t see my diabetes doctor, I am eating all the time and afraid to catch the virus and get serious complications.” Maha’s doctor suggested Droobi, a digital program for diabetes management to provide her remote care while she’s at home. Now more than ever, Maha feels motivated to keep her diabetes under control to be the healthiest and strongest version of herself.
A few weeks since starting Droobi, her blood sugar levels have improved and she doesn’t need to test her blood sugar as often. “I stopped [eating] croissant and chocolate for breakfast and now have boiled eggs with vegetables instead”. Controlled blood sugars leads to a reduced risk of developing serious life-threatening complications and reduces the risk of getting seriously sick from COVID-19.
In Qatar, we know that around 12% of the population live with diabetes, according to International Diabetes Federation, and the majority of COVID-19 infected patients are living with a chronic condition. This leaves a significant portion of the population unable to access regular care necessary to manage their condition and prevent complications.
The Covid-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented opportunity to embrace digital health solutions in a health care system that typically relies on in-hospital visits. This care structure contributes to the spread of the virus to uninfected patients, which is especially risky for vulnerable patients who have chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
What can slow down COVID-19’s fast-growing burden on patient lives in times where clinics are cancelled, hospitals are closed, and appointments are not available?
Digital health companies like Droobi Health that provide remote monitoring tools and digital care programs are in a unique position to ease the current pressure on healthcare systems. Droobi is the first provider of Arabic digital, behavior-change programs that combine technology, data analytics and behavior change science to help people manage their chronic condition and improve their overall health. Members receive a personalized self-care plan, digital tracking tools and access to a health professional via chat.
Droobi programs have been rolled out to patients at local health centers and hospitals, and the results are promising. Around 76% of patients with diabetes who used Droobi lowered their HbA1c and a remarkable 84% of these people did so without changing their medication, underscoring Droobi’s impact on lasting behavior change and clinical outcomes. While data is still being collected and analyzed, early evidence like this shows the potential of technological innovation, like Droobi, to deliver scalable and meaningful change to patient lives.
Enabling patients living with a chronic condition to access a health professional from the comfort and safety of their own home has never been more important than now during a global health crisis.
With the stop of regular healthcare services, healthcare systems have no choice but to embrace digital health solutions to provide remote care to people in a way that prioritizes the nation’s health and safety. And in doing so, people living with diabetes like Maha can have peace of mind knowing that she can still be empowered to take care of her health, even during a health crisis.
About Droobi Health
Droobi Health Technology is a Qatar-based digital health company with a mission to reduce the burden of chronic diseases by becoming the leading Arabic platform for chronic disease management solutions. Today, different healthcare institutions in Qatar are partnering with Droobi for clinical trials, working on publishing clinical outcomes, and proving the effectiveness of their approach.
Note: any patient names mentioned have been changed for privacy reasons.
Source: Droobi
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