Obesity in Focus at Diabetes Professional Care

Obesity is set to take centre stage at this year’s Diabetes Professional Care, with industry experts presenting the very latest thinking on the subject as part of its new dedicated Obesity in Practice area. The two-day, free-to-attend, 7 stream CPD accredited show will also host an obesity led discussion and will feature some of the most innovative obesity focused technologies and solutions on the market.

Toby Baker, Event Director at Diabetes Professional Care, comments: “The UK is currently ranked as having the highest levels of obesity in Europe, with more than 1 in 4 adults being classified as obese. Over the next 20 years, the number of obese adults in the UK is forecast to soar to around 26 million people, which will cause millions more cases of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. This is a subject that needs to be addressed and quickly. We hope that our dedicated Obesity in Practice zone, educational conference streams, practical workshops and cutting-edge suppliers, provide the perfect platform from which we can all learn and share knowledge in order to help combat this devastating condition.”   

New for 2016, Obesity in Practice is a specialist area at Diabetes Professional Care, dedicated to the entire obesity spectrum. Industry leading speakers will be taking to the stage to discuss the most relevant and current hot topics, including the NHS’ five-year plan, hydration, bariatric surgery, the obesity crisis and the effect obesity has on diabetes.

Chairing the presentations within the Obesity in Practice zone and delivering its welcome presentation will be Tam Fry, spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum, Expert Advisory Team Member with Action On Sugar and Patron of the Child Growth Foundation.

Those wanting to know more about the NHS’ plans to counteract the obesity problem, will not want to miss the talk titled ‘The NHS’ Five Year Forward View’. The talk will detail a marked shift in focus towards diabetes and obesity prevention. Plus, it will also discuss the latest obesity guidelines and outline Central Government Funding.

One proposed response to the obesity crisis is bariatric surgery. Dimitri Pournaras, Clinical Fellow in Upper Gastrointestinal and Bariatric Surgery at Musgrave Park Hospital will look at why the NHS should do more bariatric surgery and detail just how much we should be doing.

Medical experts and campaigners criticised the Government’s recent childhood obesity strategy, calling it weak and embarrassing, and accused policymakers of throwing away the best chance to tackle the culture of unhealthy eating that is crippling the NHS. With this in mind Jenny Rosborough, Registered Nutritionist (Public Health) and Campaign Manager at Action on Sugar, will analyse what role the government and the food and drink industry play in tackling obesity.

Research suggests that water could be the secret weapon in the fight against the obesity, with statistics finding obese people and those with higher body mass indexes are more likely to be inadequately hydrated. Professor Tom Sanders, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Kings College London will follow up this theme during his presentation titled: ‘Obesity and Hydration – am I hungry or am I thirsty?’

Carolyn Pallister, Dietitian & Public Health Manager at Slimming World will explore the role the commercial sector plays in supporting weight management in patients and in reducing health risks. Whilst, Andrew Shanahan, Journalist, Entrepreneur & Director of Man v Fat, will detail ‘MAN v FAT Football - Can The Beautiful Game Solve The Obesity Crisis?’.

In addition to the Obesity in Practice zone, the show will also host The Live Debate, an interactive discussion, which will see several leading authorities examine the hot topic of: ‘Food for Thought - What Should a Diabetes Patient Eat?’ Taking place on day two of the show, the panel will include: Dr Trudi Deakin, Chief Executive at X-PERT Health, Dr Ian Lake, GP and PWD Type 1 and Arjun Panesar, CEO at Diabetes.co.uk. Acting as facilitator and chairing the debate will be Dr Mike Sadler and John Grummit, Vice President at International Diabetes Federation.

The panel will be fielding questions from the audience and challenging each other on all things obesity orientated, covering everything from government nutritional guidance and surgery through to how much onus should be placed on the patient. 

Your.MD Brings Free Assisted Self-Care to Africa

 Your.MD, the company behind the world’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Personal Health Assistant, has announced its availability on Free Basics – the Facebook-led initiative to deliver internet access to the two-thirds of the world that doesn‘t have it. This enables anyone with a mobile phone to access Your.MD on Free Basics, without any data or connectivity charges, to get the most accurate self-care assistance available today.

Your.MD is the flagship company of an emerging healthcare sector, pre-primary care, that aims to reduce the burden on national health services by assisting people in self-caring via AI and mobile technology. The collaboration marks one of Your.MD’s first charitable affiliations and forms part of an ongoing strategy to deliver pre-primary care – personalised, trustworthy and actionable health information – to everyone.

Your.MD uses AI to provide fully personalised information, guidance and recommendations on next steps, alongside its curated network of trusted health service providers and products – OneStop Health™. Through the partnership, those living in Africa – where internet access may be less affordable and healthcare professionals less readily available – will now have access to highly personal, NHS clinically certified and trustworthy health information.

Your.MD’s chief executive, Matteo Berlucchi, comments: “Our mission is to democratize healthcare. Your.MD places pre-primary care in the hands of everyone with a mobile phone, which is a fundamental human right. Working with Free Basics we’re even closer to achieving this goal, as many countries in Africa can now access trustworthy and accurate health advice that is fully personalised and relevant to them at zero cost. For those in particularly rural communities, the service can boost the knowledge of nurses and community care providers to better serve people in need of accurate and trusted medical assistance.”

Your.MD has also revealed that its now working with UK charity The Migraine Centre to offer specialist treatment to sufferers of migraine and cluster headaches from around the world. The Migraine Centre is one of Your.MD’s trusted healthcare providers and is now available directly through Your.MD as part of OneStop Health™, its curated network of third party providers. Patients can self-refer and are asked to donate towards the cost of their appointment.

Your.MD’s AI based pre-primary care service is available on PC, iOS and Android app and popular messenger platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Kik, Slack, and Telegram.

   

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The Care and Support Alliance appoints Vicky McDermott as new Chair

The Care and Support Alliance has today elected a new Chair, the Chief Executive of Papworth Trust Vicky McDermott. She replaces Richard Hawkes of Scope who stepped down in May. Sue Brown, Head of Public Policy at Sense will remain the Vice-Chair.

Vicky McDermott held the position of Head of Operations and Strategic Resourcing for the NHS Business Services Authority until she joined disability charity Papworth Trust in 2014. She is also a non-executive director and Vice Chair of Scope, one of the largest disability charities in the UK. Vicky, who became disabled following a car accident when she was 17, has previously held a number of senior roles across the private and public sectors.

Vicky McDermott said,
“I am delighted to have been elected to lead the 80 organisations of the Care and Support Alliance. By working together we have a much stronger voice in influencing much needed changes in social care. It is such an important time to be taking on this role, as the Alliance shapes its plans for working with the new Government and builds upon strong relationships with decision makers.”

Vice-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance Sue Brown said,
“I am delighted that Vicky has been elected as Chair of the Care and Support Alliance. In the last two years, with Richard Hawkes as Chair the alliance has gone from strength to strength, and I would like to thank Richard for the work he has put in to make this happen. I look forward to working with Vicky and I am sure that with her as Chair this success will continue.”

EBCC8 Wrap Up‏

EBCC-8 provided a unique platform for all professionals with a common interest in breast cancer to debate and deliberate new data and establish what it means for patient treatment and care. The comprehensive programme and multidisciplinary setting enabled 3,817 participants from 98 different countries to hear from thought-leaders, learn from colleagues and peers, to find out about what more they can offer patients, and work together to effectively develop advances and insight into breast cancer research and practice, patient management, advocacy and care. Sessions were packed throughout the conference, with a record number of participants attending the last session of the conference, where the three late-breaking abstracts were presented to much acclaim. United by a common vision, EBCC-8 participants and organisers alike marked another highly successful milestone towards ultimately curing breast cancer.

05.04.12   EBCC-8 Wrap Up

El Hospital Regional de Málaga y sus Centros de Salud de referencia mejoran el proceso de atención al embarazo

Profesionales del Hospital Regional Carlos Haya de Málaga y de los centros de salud de referencia han elaborado un protocolo conjunto de atención a la mujer con un embarazo normal, que ha permitido disminuir el número de desplazamientos de la gestante, al mismo tiempo que aumentar el control y calidad de las visitas, al agrupar en una sola, varios procedimientos asistenciales.
La incorporación del protocolo de embarazo normal ha permitido reducir en un 30% el número de visitas de la embarazada, y evitar en un 40% intervenciones no exentas de riesgo, como la amniocentesis.
El protocolo establece el número de consultas que la embarazada debe llevar a cabo tanto en su centro de salud como en el CARE (Centro de Alta Resolución de Especialidades ‘José Estrada’), así como las pruebas de control a las que debe someterse para una mejor vigilancia de la gestación: ecografías, estudios genéticos, curvas de glucemia y analíticas ordinarias.
El trabajo coordinado de ginecólogos, médicos de laboratorio, médicos de familia, matronas y personal de enfermería del CARE, Atención Primaria y Hospital Materno Infantil ha hecho posible un seguimiento más exhaustivo en la consulta de embarazo normal del CARE; este mayor control disminuye la ansiedad de la gestante, le da una mayor seguridad y reduce el número de visitas a la consulta de vigilancia especial.
Así, en la semana 12 de gestación, el protocolo incorpora la primera cita con el ginecólogo en el CARE, el cribado para estudio genético, la ecografía para fijar la fecha del embarazo, la evaluación del riesgo obstétrico, la realización de analíticas específicas y la apertura de la historia clínica digital, todo en una única visita al centro sanitario.
Los resultados del cribado y de la analítica establecida en protocolo se envían on line desde el laboratorio del Materno Infantil, bien a la consulta de embarazo del CARE o al centro de salud, en función de donde vaya a tener lugar la próxima visita. La gestante acude con la cartilla maternal en la que se registran los informes y resultados de cada visita y cada prueba. De esta forma los profesionales de los centros de salud (matrona y médico de familia) y el Servicio de Obstetricia del hospital conocen el estado de salud de la mujer y la evolución del embarazo, favoreciéndose la continuidad de cuidados en todo el proceso hasta el momento del parto.
A través del programa Diraya los médicos y matronas de los centros de salud dan la primera cita en el CARE, y desde allí se programan los siguientes controles ecográficos y reevaluaciones por el especialista, hasta que en la última visita, en torno a la semana 40, se deriva la paciente a monitores al Hospital Materno Infantil.
La consulta de embarazo normal del CARE dispone además de un teléfono de atención obstétrica para profesionales implicados en el control de embarazo que atiende, de lunes a viernes de 8 a 20 horas, cualquier consulta clínica o funcional.
Desde principios de año el desarrollo del protocolo ha permitido disponer de ocho consultas semanales para el seguimiento y control obstétrico, en coordinación con Atención Primaria, de las gestantes de bajo y medio riesgo, lo que supone aproximadamente 6.000 visitas, con un promedio de 160 mujeres en seguimiento cada semana.
La coordinación de todo el equipo de profesionales que participa en el control de embarazo, con la unificación de criterios clínicos y funcionales que conlleva, fomenta la participación de la gestante en el propio programa, mejorando aspectos de comunicación con las pacientes, tal y como establece el Proceso Integral de Atención al Embarazo de la Consejería de Salud.