Next week at Arab Health 2022, LG will be presenting its latest innovations within the medical display market – illustrating technology’s ability to empower more accurate diagnosis, treatment and overall patient care.

With the extended impact of the pandemic being felt by many within the healthcare community, hospitals, offices and clinics have found themselves inundated with scans, at the same time as having to modify workflows to keep healthcare staff and patients safe.

“While our region has shown a great deal of resilience, adapting to change in a timely and secure manner, looking ahead at the next stage of the pandemic and beyond, radiologists have the opportunity to re-examine and optimise their workflows, processes and patient care. With teleradiology also on the rise, the industry must closely examine the technologies available to ensure that remote radiologists have the tools required to deliver successful outcomes,” said Mr. Hongju Jeon, President of LG Electronics Gulf.

Image supplied

Maintaining its commitment to providing innovative healthcare technologies, LG Business Solutions places high importance on deploying engineers and sales professionals to analyse the growing demands of telehealth and understand each radiologist’s journey.

At Arab Health, visitors can learn more about LG’s Diagnostic Monitor (model 21HQ513D), which features a large and bright 21.3-inch 3MP IPS Display, facilitating the precise review of CT and Angiography. An integrated Front Sensor enables easy calibration, ​improving the quality and consistency of medical images by maintaining accurate values.

Diagnostic monitors often need to be connected to various modalities, all with differing resolutions. With LG’s Multi-resolution Mode, users can adjust the resolution of monitor to optimise to the connected device with speed and ease. In Pathology Mode, the 21HQ513D reproduces the same level of detail and color accuracy as seen directly under a microscope.

Down and Wall Lighting Modes alongside an Auto Luminance Sensor work to reduce the contrast between the monitor brightness and ambient lighting conditions, while also alleviating eye strain. LG’s 21HQ513D Diagnostic Monitor comes integrated with 5 Hot Keys for more intuitive operation.

Also on showcase is LG’s 14 x 17-inch Digital X-ray Detector (model 14HQ901G), which features an oxide-based thin-film transistor (TFT) with electron transfer speeds up to 30 times faster than a conventional TFT. The 14HQ901G also improves the Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE) of the new oxide-based TFT by 28% to only 1 Ip/mm, compared to standard a-Si detectors.

The Digital X-ray Detector features a handle, sculpted handgrips and chamfers for increased portability. It can run for up to 8 hours and has Hot Swap built-in, removable batteries, which allow the device to maintain power for up to 1 minute when the battery is removed. LG’s Digital X-ray Detector also comes with an IP68 dustproof and waterproof rating, reducing the risk of malfunction – even when used in external environments or moving the device from station to station.

Where equipment for chest examinations is required, LG’s experts at Arab Health are demonstrating how the company’s 31-inch 12MP IPS Diagnostic Monitor for Mammography (model 31HN713D) can provide a leading edge. While featuring LG’s Multi-resolution Mode, Pathology Mode and Self-Calibration, it also has a One-Click Stand and ultra-lightweight body, which when coupled, empower users to freely adjust the tilt, height and swivel, reducing chronic pain caused by long hours of work.

Those interested to find out more about LG’s medical display solutions can visit the LG booth at Arab Health 2022 between Monday 24^th and Thursday 27^th of January, located at Dubai World Trade Centre (DTWC), Sheikh Saeed Hall 2, stand number S2 F30.

January marks cervical cancer awareness month, the disease is the fourth most common cancer in women according to WHO. In an interview with Dr. Khaled Kouteich, Consultant Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Dr. Alaa Younus Mohammed​ Specialist Obstetrician and Gynecologist from Fakeeh University Hospital we discuss how preventative measures are key.

What causes cervical cancer and what are the major symptoms that can be giveaways of the ailment? 

Dr. Khaled: Cervical cancer occurs in the cervix of a woman, the entrance to the uterus from the vagina. It happens when the cells in a woman's cervix undergo mutation. This cancer can damage the cervix's deeper tissues and spread to other areas of the body (metastasise), most often the lungs, liver, bladder, vagina, and rectum. Cervical cancer develops slowly, so it is generally detectable and treatable, before it causes major complications.

According to WHO, almost 99% of cervical cancer cases are associated with infection of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), a very common virus transmitted through sexual contact. Although most HPV infections resolve spontaneously with no symptoms, chronic infection can lead to cervical cancer in women.

Cervical cancer in its early stages usually has no symptoms. However, following are the signs and symptoms of advanced cervical cancer:

• Vaginal bleeding between periods, after sexual intercourse, or after menopause
• Pelvic discomfort or pain during intercourse
• Vaginal discharge that is watery, bloody, and has a bad odor
• Having difficulty peeing, fatigue, kidney failure, loss of appetite, and uninitiated weight loss

Dr. Khaled Kouteich and Dr. Alaa Younus Mohammed

What are the necessary steps in the prevention and detection of cervical cancer? 

Dr. Alaa: A variety of steps can help lower the risk of developing cervical cancer, such as:

• Vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) - Cervical cancer is clearly linked to some types of HPV. Getting vaccinated against HPV may lower your risk of cervical cancer and other HPV-related cancers. 
• Cervical cancer and safe sex - The HPV vaccination can effectively protect against nine strains of the virus. Cervical cancer can be also caused by other strains. HPV vaccination should be taken before first sexual activity. Using protection during intercourse protects against HPV infection. 
• Cervical cancer screening - Regular cervical screening may assist a person in identifying and dealing with cancer symptoms before the disease develops or spreads too far. Screening does not diagnose cancer, but it does detect mutations in the cervix's cells.
• Having fewer sexual partners - The more sexual partners a woman has, the greater her chance of HPV virus transmission. This can increase the chance of acquiring cervical cancer too.
• Delaying the first sexual encounter - The younger a woman is when she has her first sexual encounter, the greater her chance of HPV infection. The longer she waits, the lesser her risk becomes.
• Quitting smoking - Women who smoke and have HPV are more likely to acquire cervical cancer than those who do not.

While the detection steps include regular screening, after consultation with your doctor and identifying the symptoms as listed above, in time. Generally, diagnostic options include Pap smear, colposcopy , biopsy and different modalities of treatments.

In line with cervical cancer awareness month, how important is it to start a conversation and encourage preventative methods? 

Dr. Khaled: Cervical cancer has a high prevalence, but it is still a taboo subject and is not openly discussed by many women. They suffer in silence, while the cancer cells mutate within their body. It is time to raise awareness regarding the disease, especially as the survival rate is close to 100 per cent when precancerous or early cancerous changes are detected and treated early.

WHO has developed an ambitious, concerted and inclusive strategy to guide the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem. To eliminate cervical cancer, all countries must reach and maintain an incidence rate of below four per 100,000 women. In UAE, a national level vaccination programme has been launched in 2019. And so far 2 in 10 girls in the primary target cohort in 2020 have received their final HPV vaccination dose. In addition to this, the Government has launched a national screening programme for cervical cancer in 2021 with the aim to strengthen early detection of first symptoms at primary health care level.

Many other countries should also take and encourage similar preventive methods. 

How often, and from which age should women screen for cervical cancer?

Dr. Alaa: The screening for cervical changes should start as early as the age of 13-15.  Women in the age group of 25 to 50 should get a HPV test every 3 years and in the age group 50-65 every 5 years. After 65 years of age, screening can be stopped if three previously done pap smear tests are negative.  In the absence of an HPV test, other alternatives, like the Pap Smear Test can also be used.

What forms of treatments exist for those with cervical cancer?

Dr. Khaled: Treatment for cervical cancer is determined by a number of variables, including the stage of the cancer, any other medical issues you may be undergoing, and your personal preferences. It is possible to utilize surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of the three. Treatment for early-stage cervical cancer, while the disease is still limited within the cervix, has a high success rate. The further a cancer spreads from its original place, the lower the success rate.

Following are some treatment modalities:

• Surgery - Surgery is often used to treat early-stage cervical cancer. The best procedure for you will depend on the extent of your cancer, its stage, and if you want to become pregnant in the future.
• Radiation therapy - It kills cancer cells by using high-powered radiation beams such as X-rays or protons. It can also be administered after surgery, if the cancer is likely to return. It can be administered internally, externally or both.
• Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy via drug treatment that involves the use of chemicals to kill cancer cells. It can be injected into a vein or swallowed as a tablet. Both strategies are employed at times.
• Immunotherapy - It is a drug that boosts the immune system's ability to fight cancer. Immunotherapy for cervical cancer may be used if the cancer has progressed and previous treatments have failed. 

Do certain patients carry a higher risk of contracting cervical cancer? 

Dr. Alaa: Yes, they do. Women may be at a higher risk of cervical cancer if they:

• Have a weakened immune system
• Started having intercourse before age 16 or within a year of starting menstruation
• Have other STIs — such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV/AIDS
• Have multiple sexual partners
• Smoke cigarettes 
• The best person to guide women on their personal risk factors will be their doctor. 

Introduction of HPV genotype for high risk patients, help improve the sensitivity of screening of cervical cancer

Adding messenger RNA, or mRNA therapy improves the response to cancer immunotherapy in patients who weren't responding to the treatment, Mayo Clinic research shows. Immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to prevent, control and eliminate cancer. The study is published in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The phrase messenger RNA and its acronym, mRNA, have become familiar to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 work by instructing cells in the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response against the virus.

MRNA technology has also been of interest to cancer researchers and physicians. One of the major obstacles in cancer treatment is the low response rate in patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors to prevent an immune response from being so strong that it destroys healthy cells in the body.

Image supplied, Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D

"We found that by introducing mRNA in immune cells, it is possible to produce useful proteins to improve their anti-tumor activity without attempting to change the genome itself," says Haidong Dong, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cancer researcher. "This approach may have the potential to be used across the spectrum of medicine to pull information gained from single-cell RNA-sequencing into mRNA-based therapy for patients."

For the study, Dr. Dong and his team produced an immune system protein in the lab ― a monoclonal antibody ― that can detect the protein levels in tumour tissues. The goal was to determine whether certain patients may have appropriate protein levels in their tumour-reactive immune cells as a potential biomarker for this therapeutic intervention.

"Most patients with advanced cancers have not benefited from current immune checkpoint blockade therapy," says Dr. Dong. "Our study provides a tool to detect this problem and also provides a mRNA-based therapy to fix it."

Next, the researchers employed new sequencing technology that makes a mRNA-based change of primary immune cells possible. They identified the target gene in single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets. Then they performed a functional test to validate the role of the target gene in enhanced immune cell-mediated killing of tumor cells.

The analysis indicated a weak spot of T cells in patients who did not respond to immunotherapy. T cells are white blood cells that play an important role in the immune system. They attack cancer cells and stop the cancer from spreading to other sites of the body. The researchers developed a mRNA-based strategy to improve their T cell response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients who weren't responding to the treatment.

The study models a new translational approach to leverage information gained from single-cell RNA-sequencing studies into mRNA-based therapy for clinical use, according to Dr. Dong.

Future research goals include optimising the screening test to detect the protein in human tumor tissues. This will help to determine any correlation with cancer prognosis and responsiveness to immunotherapy and explore a platform of using mRNA for T cell therapy.

"At Mayo Clinic, one way to meet the needs of patients is to offer them something new that they cannot find in other places," says Dr. Dong. "We are committed to finding options for patients who do not respond to current immunotherapy."

Cigna Insurance Middle East (CIME), the leading health solutions and services company, has announced that it has received the Participating Insurer licence issued by the Dubai Health Insurance Corporation (DHIC).

With this licence, Cigna will be able to offer the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) in the UAE in the coming months and provide health insurance solutions to clients across a broad spectrum – including those employers operating in industries with employees in lower salary bands.

The Participating Insurer licence enables Cigna to make quality healthcare more accessible – a journey that the company embarked on last year with the launch of SmartCare by Cigna.

Image supplied, Jerome Droesch, CEO of Cigna MEA & SEA

In his comments, Jerome Droesch, CEO of Cigna MEA & SEA, said: “The Participating Insurer licence enables Cigna to take our mission one step further and consolidate our position as a ‘go-to’ dedicated health insurer for employers, governments, and individuals. We are proud to receive this honour by DHIC, and look forward to supporting their vision, and making quality healthcare accessible to all citizens and residents of UAE.”

Jerome added: “At Cigna, we aim to constantly innovate by using an insights-led approach in the conceptualisation of new, unique, and appropriate solutions for our clients and customers. The Participating Insurer licence will help us provide affordable healthcare insurance solutions with service excellence attached, which will plug a market gap.”

This decision comes close on the heels of Cigna launching its SmartCare by Cigna product – a region-specific offering that provides members access-to-care across a wide list of network providers, provides access to a host of supplemental services including telehealth, employee assistance programs, and brings to life Cigna’s unique ‘open access network’ that allows members direct billing access to any UAE network provider, subject to a tier specific coinsurance. Created for SMEs, Corporates and Government organisations within the UAE, SmartCare by Cigna is aligned with Cigna’s commitment to bringing simple and affordable solutions to market.

Climate change is “the greatest threat to global health in the 21^st century” says the World Health Organisation. An estimate of 7 million lives is claimed prematurely each year because of air pollution, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels. Combatting COVID-19 is of the utmost urgency, however climate priorities must guide post- pandemic recovery strategies.

Healthcare significantly contributes to climate change and can play a vital role in supporting change. If the world's health-care system were a country, it would be the planet's fifth-largest carbon emitter. 5.4 per cent of the UK carbon emissions, which is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions form 11 coal fired power plants comes from the NHS. Several healthcare practices produce waste by products that are hazardous to the environment.

Therefore, nursing and midwifery education should include a focus on how natural resources should be used and disposed in clinical practice, as well as the impact sustainable measures have on the environment.  Opportunities must be identified to integrate wider topics on the importance of sustainability and vital issues into the nursing curriculum. This can drive change and create awareness on the link between sustainability issues being healthcare issues as well, making them relevant for clinical practice.

Developing awareness of sustainability in nursing and midwifery using a scenario-based approach, showcased evidence from a pre and post educational intervention study.

Aimed to assess the impact of a sustainability-focused, scenario-based learning educational intervention on student nurses and midwives' attitudes and knowledge, the educational intervention used in this pre-test/post-test intervention study was scenario-based learning. The outcome measure was the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey (SANS 2). In a UK University School of Nursing and Midwifery, 676 second-year undergraduate nursing and midwifery students participated in a clinical skills workshop. The SANS survey was completed on a 7-point scale before and after the teaching session, and standard non-parametric analysis was used to compare before and post intervention scores.

Attitudes regarding climate change and sustainability, as well as the inclusion of these subjects in nursing curricula, shifted. Following the workshop, participants displayed an improved understanding of natural resource consumption and waste disposal costs. Participants also said that the sessions were realistic, and that their levels of agreement with comments promoting the session's worth and the participatory form of delivery were greater afterward.

Nursing and midwifery students can be instrumental in being catalysts for environmental change by widening their knowledge on sustainability. Using this method in the context of clinical skills creates an engaging and interesting approach that is both educational and clinically applicable.

Sustainable development, according to the International Council of Nursing, is concerned with providing a framework in which groups, communities, and individuals have access to resources and opportunities, as well as the ability to exercise their rights to build infrastructures that promote healthy communities.

Through this, sustainable practices can provide ways for communities to thrive and met expectations in the present day without comprising the future generations. Therefore, nurses can promote and advocate for policies in awareness of global warming and as well as their health consequences.

The increase in demand for genetics and infectious disease tests in the region has prompted South Korea’s GC Labs, a leading clinical diagnostics company, to plan further expansion in the Middle East. Currently offering their services in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the company is in talks with regional partners to expand their services to more countries in the Middle East. More than 800 employees at GC Labs offer over 5,000 tests and test combinations, ranging from routine tests to highly esoteric molecular and genetic assays.

To create further awareness of their services, GC Labs will participate in the 2022 edition of Medlab Middle East at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from January 24-27. At the event, GC Labs will highlight its “smart lab” concept that provides an automated test system to improve speed and efficiency of tests, allowing the company to report results in just a day or two.

Eun-Hee Lee, President at GC Labs, says: “The Middle East is an important market for us, and participating in Medlab will help us to share our best practices in clinical diagnostics with the regional health community. Over the past two decades, the world has achieved important success in the fight against pandemics like COVID-19 and in mobilising global response against HIV-Aids, TB, Malaria and other infectious diseases. Medical laboratories play a key role in this fight by providing high quality diagnostic testing and by working in partnership with the health authorities. To highlight the importance of private and public partnership in the fight against infectious diseases and pandemics, we are organising a seminar during Medlab to bring together international experts to share their own experiences and expertise, focus on lessons learned, and discuss how to best manage public and private partnerships to successfully fight against pandemics and infectious diseases in the future.”

Image supplied, Eun-Hee Lee, President at GC Labs

GC Labs will host its seminar on ‘Public-Private Partnership in Global Health: bringing the best of both worlds to improve testing’ on 25^th January at the Bubble Lounge in Medlab. The seminar has an impressive line-up of speakers with globally renowned specialists including Lelio Marmora, former CEO in Unitaid;  Pr. Michel Kazatchkine, former executive director the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; Dr. Eskild Petersen, MD, Editor-in-chief of IJID Regions, an official journal of the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID); Dr. Amina Al-Jardani, Director of Central Public Health Laboratories (CPHL), Directorate General for Disease Surveillance and Control, Ministry of Health, Oman; and Eun-hee Lee, President at GC Labs.  The seminar will be an interactive session with an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

From January 24-27, GC Labs will be present at booth Z4.E42 in Medlab where they will offer a ‘smart experience’ for visitors to learn more about the diagnostic services the company offers.

In last year’s edition of Arab Health, we had several discussions on the Delta variant’s rapid spread. Delta became the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the U.S. in 2021 and since then new variants have been detected in England, Brazil, California, and other areas.

More infectious variants, such as beta, which first appeared in South Africa, may have a high capability to re-infect persons who have recovered from previous forms of the coronavirus, as well as being resistant to some of the coronavirus vaccines now being developed. Vaccines now in use, however, appear to provide enough protection against severe illness caused by coronavirus variations.

Related: COVID-19 is mutating: what does this mean for us?

In an interview with Dr. Wael Faroug Mohamed Elamin, Consultant Clinical Microbiologist, and Infection Control Doctor at G42 Healthcare, we spoke about if the SARS-COV-2 virus keeps mutating and how variants can be categorised. “SARS-CoV-2  is an RNA virus, and what RNA viruses lack is called the proofreading mechanism. While they replicate, they always make mistakes during replication and there is a lack of checking mechanisms during this process. Therefore, mutations in old viruses always exist in RNA viruses more so than DNA viruses. Hence, mutations are not only predictable but are expected. There can be several types of mutations, and some become anonymous, which causes a change in the actual property of the virus, or nonsynonymous, which may not cause an effect. If a mutation is causing a significant change, further study needs to analyse its consequences and severity. Nevertheless, mutations are a part of how viruses replicate, and they have their replication cycle,” he explained.

Dr. Wael affirmed that there are variants of concern and nonvariants of concern. The question is, which one of them are worrisome enough to be considered? 

Categorising Variants

Related: How will COVID-19 affect the coming flu season?

Organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify coronavirus variations into distinct categories:

A variant of interest

Possesses genetic traits that indicate increased transmissibility, evasion of immunity or diagnostic tests, or more severe disease when compared to earlier forms of the virus.

A variant of concern

In persons who have been vaccinated or previously infected, has been found to be more infectious, more likely to cause breakthrough or re-infections. These variants are more likely to induce severe illness, elude detection, and resist antiviral therapy. The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus's alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variants are classed as variants of concern.

A variant of high consequence

Is a variant against which no existing vaccinations provide protection. There are currently no SARS-CoV-2 mutations of high significance.

New Variants

As long as the coronavirus spreads through the population, mutations will continue to happen, and the delta variant family continues to evolve, according to an article published in Johns Hopkins medicine. Although the virus is mutating, it is likely that most kits would at least give an indication that the virus may exist, adds Dr. Wael.

New variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are detected every week, however majority of them come and go, some remain but don't get more prevalent; others grow in population for a while and then fade away says Dr. Stuart Ray, M.D., vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics in the same article published in Johns Hopkins medicine.

Variants of concern remain to be alpha, beta, gamma, felta and omicron, as of January 5^th according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, with the CDC highlighting delta and mmicron.

Several stories on flurona and deltacron have been in the public eye, however specialists such as Dr. Ray have clarified that ‘flurona' is not a clinical term, however patients can be infected with the flu and the coronavirus at the same time." Coinfections have existed, and by definition mean a new infection running concurrently with the initial infection.

Deltacron, refers to the combination of the delta and omicron variants. Dr. David Margolius, division director of general internal medicine at MetroHealth, said the idea that the two variants have merged into a brand-new variant isn’t true.

Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, called the strain “deltacron,” because of its omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes, Bloomberg said.

There is doubt among speacliasts who may feel Kostrikis’s findings may be a result of a lab errors, which he continues to refute.

Wolters Kluwer, Health has launched Ovid® Synthesis, a new suite of applications to power highly effective evidence-based workflows in the healthcare setting that complement Ovid’s premium medical content.

The first Ovid Synthesis module, Clinical Evidence Manager, is a cloud-based workflow management solution that offers healthcare organisations a unique, centralised dashboard view of all quality improvement (QI) research projects for easier tracking and collaboration among teams to ensure new clinical practice improvements are based on the latest medical evidence.
 
“Evidence-based research initiatives at health systems hold the key to better patient outcomes and financial performance, but these programs are time-intensive making it difficult to efficiently surface and implement new evidence into clinical practice,” said Vikram Savkar, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Medicine Segment, Health Learning, Research & Practice business at Wolters Kluwer. “In the wake of a pandemic that laid bare the weaknesses of our current delivery system, we are bringing to market an important evidence-based practice (EBP) workflow solution that aims to improve the cycle between identification of clinical problems and implementation of clinical solutions based on the evidence.”

Ovid Synthesis Clinical Evidence Manager was developed in collaboration with Duke Health and the West Virginia University Health System (WVU Medicine), among other leading healthcare institutions.
 
The expert solution streamlines the literature review and evidence appraisal process with artificial intelligence (AI), increases communication and collaboration among departments and facilitates decisions on implementation. The solution supports a range of stakeholders with varying levels of research experience through easy-to-use tools and features including:

• Executive and project level dashboards provide real-time visibility into projects across an institution
• Standardised workflows with configurable templates to reflect organisational best practices
• Integrated literature search directly within the system eliminates toggling between windows
• Collaboration tools to promote team member interaction across sites help to cut costs and timelines
• Built-in literature appraisal with configurable appraisal forms and AI-driven features to increase process efficiency
• Automatic document generation of project findings in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint formats, including dynamically generated evidence tables

GluCare Integrated Diabetes Center, pioneers of remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutic approaches for diabetes care, announced an affordable CE-marked continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system for measuring blood glucose levels. The low price point of the GluCare CGM system is expected to make the technology accessible for many more patients who were previously unable to benefit from this technology due to the high costs associated with CGMs currently available in the market.

A Revolution in Care

In recent years, CGM systems have emerged as an integral part of diabetes care. Many studies have shown that continuous glucose monitoring can lead to significantly better outcomes than traditional sporadic self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). The patient pricks their finger to measure blood sugar levels at a single point in time.

CGMs can improve health outcomes for people with diabetes by reducing HbA1c and decreasing hypo and hyperglycemic episodes. The American Diabetes Association now recommends CGM systems for all diabetes patients who inject insulin multiple times per day and use an insulin pump. However, there is growing and overwhelming evidence that CGMs should be used for all diabetics and pre-diabetics, including obese patients who do not present as people with diabetes. There is also a growing demand for CGMs by healthy individuals looking to manage glycemic variability to help with overall metabolic function.

“One of our biggest frustrations in caring for our patients has been the constant battle with insurance companies for CGM coverage,” said Ali Hashemi, GluCare co-founder, and Chairman. “The benefits of a CGM are undeniable, but unfortunately, the up-front cost burden is high and daunting – both for insurers as well as for cash-paying patients. To mitigate this, we took this problem head-on in launching our own CGM at a much lower price-point but with equivalent performance.” 

The GluCare CGM is integrated into a novel model of care that takes the traditional CGM value proposition a step further. GluCare has built a digital therapeutics platform that collects data from multiple inputs, including wearable devices and electronic medical records, and incorporates a wide range of health behaviors, including sleep, physical activity, and dietary habits, with current blood glucose levels. The combined data is continuously analysed by artificial intelligence algorithms and compiled into a risk score monitored by a specialised clinical care team.

GluCare’s CGM system allows patients to continuously monitor their medical data, receive personalised tips to help improve health, and communicate with a diabetes coach. The increased patient engagement leads to significant behavioral change and improved outcomes.

Dr. Ihsan Almarzooqi, GluCare co-founder and managing director

Superior Clinical Outcomes

An initial study shows that the GluCare system leads to better control of blood sugar levels — the average patient HbA1c dropped by an average of 2.14 per cent within the first 90 days of beginning the program. This system led to other improvements as well. Patients achieved lower levels of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and uric acid and reduced body mass index (BMI).

The study authors also found that the GluCare model led to improvements in the time in range (TIR), a measure that describes how long a person’s blood glucose levels stayed within target values. GluCare CGM monitoring led to an average TIR of 83 per cent.

“We have proven that the use of CGM within the GluCare ‘continuous and integrated’ model of care leads to better outcomes than patient-only use of CGMs,“ said Dr. Ihsan Almarzooqi, GluCare co-founder and managing director. “Real-time monitoring of glucose variability and engagement with coaches, educators, dieticians, and physicians as a part of a continuous model of care is vastly better than usual care where patients manage their glucose variability.”

Improved Cost Savings

Although CGM systems can effectively help improve the health of diabetes patients, the accessibility of these devices remains a challenge due to the economic burden. As the price of CGM systems drops, more people with diabetes will have the opportunity to use this technology to safeguard their health.

“It is no longer acceptable to have CGMs only available to those that have the relevant insurance coverage or those who can afford it,” Dr. Almarzooqi noted. “The body of evidence in clinical improvements using CGM is overwhelming.”

GluCare is well-poised to offer a CGM alternative that beats the pricing on other comparable devices. The new CGM is about 85 per cent less expensive than the gold standard Dexcom CGM System and costs nearly 30 per cent less than the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, previously the lowest-cost option on the market.

These lower up-front costs, paired with better clinical outcomes and the potential for more successful diabetes management, could lead to a reduced financial burden on patients and healthcare systems alike.  “We believe the return on investment of using CGM is overwhelmingly positive even at current market price points.  However, if it can be offered at a lower unit cost, the ROI becomes more attractive not only for insulin-dependent diabetics but also for all diabetics or pre-diabetics. We also predict that companion management platforms, where a CGM is reimbursed by insurance under a program such as GluCare's but less so under usual care, will be a more usual practice as we move towards value-based approaches in the medical device ecosystem.” said Dr. Almarzooqi.

The world of Insurtech is gaining momentum as insurance start-ups are testing cutting-edge digital solutions to improve the client experience, back-end operations, and everything in between. Every year, it draws more investment, with last year's total being at an all high of $4.4 billion. The insurtech industry is increasingly becoming more geographically diverse as well, with several insurtechs in Europe and Asia recently gaining significant funding.

Insurtechs are garnering a high level of interest and investment as they are striving to be at the forefront of the industry, generating potentially game-changing products, services, and operational innovations. The industry has been receptive and aware of the potential insurtech holds, according to the most recent Accenture Tech Vision for Insurance, 90 per cent of insurance leaders feel that the integration of real-time delivery with customisation, which is the foundation of many insurtechs, is the next big wave in terms of competitive advantage

Related: Welcoming the digital shift in healthcare insurance

In an interview with Neeraj Gupta, CEO, Policybazaar.ae we uncover how insurtech is evolving the healthcare insurance industry within healthcare.

Digital transformation has witnessed a gradual adoption by the healthcare industry. How crucial is it for the insurance sector to also implement technology, especially for healthcare insurance providers?

To fit into the digital future, the insurance industry must focus towards ‘insurtech’ or the integration of innovative technologies like increasing acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud computing, etc. to streamline and improve efficiency in the healthcare insurance space. For example, Cloud computing in health insurance offers flexibility, better management, cost optimisation, and anytime-anywhere access of data for health insurers.

Related: COVID-19’s impact on health insurance trends

With the right digital ecosystem, insurers can not only educate customers for a healthier lifestyle but can also acquire real-time customer data using non-intrusive methods, tools such as websites, apps, emails, social media, live chat, text to reach out to the customers. Also, with developments in technology, there are increasing possibilities of new methods of service provision as well as greater opportunities for data collection that can lead to better risk identification and mitigation measures.

Image supplied, Neeraj Gupta, CEO, Policybazaar.ae

 

How is Insurtech redefining healthcare insurance for users in the UAE? Has there been significant AI integrations that have guided reforms?

COVID-19 ushered in the advancement of Insurtech, from being a good-to-have accessory to a must-have facilitator. It was observed that aggregators and insurers with an online capability in the UAE region gained high traction and were able to write substantial volumes of business. A significant impact of buying healthcare insurance online proved to be convenient, economical, and efficient. Furthermore, insurance companies could benefit from reduced overheads and operating expenses, while prospective policyholders were able to compare across a menu of options and make an informed and conscious choice. Even the online payment opportunities for both the premiums and claims speed up the processes and potentially reduce the opportunities for fraud.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) too played an integral role in increasing the operational efficiency of health insurance companies. From interacting with customers to understanding their needs AI recommended the most appropriate health policy. AI proved to be extremely productive for efficient customer experience by understanding the context of customer visit. Also, all the document processing technologies e.g., OCR too helped in better customer experience.

What is the role of cost when it comes to insurtech, how can it help in patients accessing more affordable and quality healthcare?

Insurance companies are focusing more on digital health services to cap the increasing health costs. Services like telehealth, remote health monitoring, and electronic health record (EHR) are helping to ease the financial pressure. Service provider’s teleconsultations are helping as they come at a fixed cost while giving policyholders easy access. Also, earlier the health insurance companies relied on impersonalised datasets to assess the risk for various diseases. But today, endpoint devices and social media can provide large amounts of personalised data. This approach helps both the insurers and customers – customers can get better coverage at affordable prices and highly personalised services, while business too gets more accurate risk assessment, stable margins, and satisfied clients.

How is preventative maintenance supported by healthcare systems and be further improved through insurance providers?

Regularly scheduled preventive maintenance helps ensure that medical equipment are working at optimum performance. The benefits of a preventive maintenance include timely repair and service of physical assets which need to be detected and corrected before becoming major issues. What is always vital is an appropriate and properly functioning equipment used and applied correctly by competent personnel, with minimal risk to their patients and to themselves. Thus, technical guidance, and practical tools are needed for effective and efficient management of healthcare technology for it to impact on priority health problems and the health system's capacity to adequately respond to health needs and expectations. Insurance companies are collecting data from telematics, agent interactions, customer interactions, and even social media to better understand and manage this preventative maintenance by healthcare systems.

Has patient engagement technology been integrated in care plans for patients? How important is this?

The innovations in technology, such as wearable devices, mobile apps, smartphones, and iPads, are helping to improve engagement between healthcare professionals and patients. The major advantage to clinical care in the age of data-capture devices is an ability to share real-time results, be it heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, activity level, or sleep. Even more valuable, the introduction of chatbots has introduced a new form of motivational communication that delivers one-on-one responsiveness to the patients. Additionally, by the telemedicine platform, clinicians gain the ability to connect to platforms that integrate with EHR systems to support immediate access to the patient's health history to assist in remote patient care. This way, the potential for telemedicine to improve healthcare access and enhance patient participation is just beginning to reach its full potential. Thus, digital will continue to be focus, it’s not disruption anymore