Digital networking will help diabetics

A groundbreaking new digital network organised by the Delta Health Alliance, a public health organisation in Mississippi, in the US could be the future for those suffering from diabetes . The alliance is made up of 15 medical groups across the States who are taking part in the USD220 million government programme to investigate how digital records technology can promote better health care, cut down on costs and even improve care by reducing medical errors and waste.
The hope is that technology, in everyday objects such as mobile phones and laptops, can help to change behaviour and the poor health habits that lead to chronic illnesses such as diabetes . Even easy methods such as sending an email reminder to patients about taking their next pill would be very useful for some diabetics .
In Mississippi, the alliance is hoping in the next three years to bring down blood sugar levels in at least a quarter of patients with diabetes, as well as raising the number of people who take their medication as directed, thereby reducing the cost of their care by 10 per cent.
New medical records technology is part of health reforms introduced by the Obama administration that it hopes will bring health improvements and cost reductions. The administration aims to have an electronic medical record for every American by 2014.
It is also believed that the project will most benefit those people who are suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes. When he announcing the awards in May, Vice President Joe Biden said “These pioneering communities are going to lead the way in bringing smarter, lower-cost health care to all Americans through use of electronic health records.”