Media Releases
bant iPhone app to help teens manage Type 1 Diabetes
UHN, SickKids, Saint Elizabeth and TELUS launch program to measure effectiveness
of bant and TELUS health space in improving treatment compliance and monitoring
in teens
Toronto, ON, February 10, 2011 – bant, an iPhone
based application to help adolescents improve diabetes self-management by capturing,
analyzing, and sharing their blood glucose data, is being tested by teenagers at
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Diabetes Clinic in Toronto. The pilot
program will assess the impact that social networking and rewards that encourage
and reinforce self-management behaviours have on young teens as they become more
independent in managing their diabetes. The pilot will run for three months.
bant was developed by University Health Network (UHN) in collaboration
with SickKids and with input from patients, families, doctors, nurses and engineers.
The multidisciplinary teams from SickKids’ Diabetes Clinic and Division of Adolescent
Medicine worked closely with colleagues at UHN to design the application. bant
is partially funded by the Saint Elizabeth Health Care ACT research grant program.
People with type 1 diabetes need to maintain their blood glucose levels as close
to normal as possible to decrease diabetes-related complications, such as kidney
and heart disease. Optimal blood glucose is very hard to achieve; requiring frequent
measurement of levels, detailed analysis of the results, and continued adjustments
of the treatment plan.
“Diabetes management is complex and even more difficult during adolescence when
individuals are more interested in fitting in with their peers than in testing their
blood glucose levels on a regular basis,” explained Dr. Joseph Cafazzo, Lead, Centre
for Global eHealth Innovation at University Health Network. “These kids are already
primed to use smartphones in their daily routine so using the iPhone for diabetes
management has the potential to improve testing adherence and provide a sense of
comfort for parents and caregivers.”
A free version of bant is already available in 10 languages at the
Apple App Store. An advanced version of the application has been developed for use
in the pilot which will use a LifeScan OneTouch Mini blood glucose meter to collect
and wirelessly transfer readings directly into bant using a Bluetooth adapter
developed by the UHN team. The data are then displayed and organized visually. Teens
can customize the tool to categorize readings according to their activities and
daily schedule to enable accurate decision-making and medication adjustments. They
will also be able to share their experiences in a private social network within
the app and earn experience points leading to rewards in the form of iTunes redemption
codes to purchase music and other apps. bant is integrated with TELUS health
space, Powered by Microsoft HealthVault, giving pilot participants the ability to
store, review, and control the sharing of their personal health information with
their care team and family members.
“TELUS is proud to be a part of this exceptional pilot project. Juvenile diabetes
affects 200,000 Canadians, with Canada having the third highest rate in the world
amongst children under the age of 15,” said Paul Lepage, senior vice president,
TELUS Health Solutions. “This application and use is another demonstration of the
power of TELUS health space to positively change care delivery for patients with
chronic diseases.”
Dr. Mark Palmert, Head of the Division of Endocrinology and Senior Associate Scientist
at SickKids said, “There are many blood glucose meters and web-based applications
that allow patients to view their blood glucose data. bant is different from
these tools because it also includes analysis tools, data sharing options, and other
innovations that are designed to change behaviours and, we hope, improve diabetes
management.”
Nancy Lefebre, Senior VP Knowledge and Practice at Saint Elizabeth Health Care said,
“bant is a wonderful example of a point-of-care application that is the focus
of our grant program. bant is exciting because it empowers children and gives
them more control over their health experience.”
About University Health Network and Centre for Global eHealth Innovation
University Health Network consists of Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess
Margaret Hospitals. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University
Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education
and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada,
with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical
innovation, infectious diseases, and genomic medicine. University Health Network
is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Supporting the University Health Network (UHN)'s vision of global impact and exemplary
patient care, The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation is a joint
effort of UHN and the University of Toronto and was built with funding from Canada
Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Innovation Trust. It is a place where
human, physical and virtual resources come together to develop and evaluate eHealth
innovations, using the expertise of leaders in the social sciences, technology and
health fields. Using the Centre's state-of-the-art facilities and resources, we
are able to engage in collaborative, transdisciplinary efforts, crossing institutional,
political, cultural and geographic boundaries.
About The Hospital for Sick Children
The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is recognized as one of the world’s foremost
paediatric health-care institutions and is Canada’s leading centre dedicated to
advancing children’s health through the integration of patient care, research and
education. Founded in 1875 and affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids
is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals and has generated discoveries
that have helped children globally. Its mission is to provide the best in complex
and specialized family-centred care; pioneer scientific and clinical advancements;
share expertise; foster an academic environment that nurtures health-care professionals;
and champion an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. SickKids
is proud of its vision for Healthier Children. A Better World. For more information,
please visit www.sickkids.ca.
About Saint Elizabeth Health Care
Saint Elizabeth Health Care has been a trusted name in Canadian health care for
more than a century. A leader in the development and implementation of integrated
healthcare solutions, Saint Elizabeth is also an award-winning not-for-profit and
charitable organization. Our dynamic talent team of more than 4,500 nurses, rehab
therapists and personal support workers deliver over 3.8 million health care visits
annually. Our staff are backed by a 24/7 best-practice clinical support network
and work in a variety of home and community care settings. Collaboration and client-focused
care are hallmarks of our values-driven culture.
About TELUS Health Solutions
TELUS Health Solutions is a leader in telehealth, electronic health records, remote
patient monitoring, mobile home and community care, consumer health, benefits management
and pharmacy management. Our solutions give health authorities, providers, primary
care physicians, patients and consumers the power to enhance decision making and
improve outcomes for Canadians. TELUS Health Solutions is transforming how information
is used across the continuum of care from hospital to home with solutions that foster
collaboration, drive prevention and empower care teams and patients. TELUS Health
Solutions is Canada’s leading Healthcare IT Company as cited by the Branham Group
for the last three years and for being honoured as the ITAC Health Company of the
Year (2008) and Health Transformation Company of the Year (2009). For more information
about TELUS Health Solutions, please visit www.telushealth.com and www.telushealthspace.com.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in
Canada, with $9.7 billion of annual revenue and 12.1 million customer connections
including 6.9 million wireless subscribers, 3.8 million wireline network access
lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and 266,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since
2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications
products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment
and video.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and
retirees have contributed $211 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations
and volunteered 3.7 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine
TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives.
TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally
for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian
company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
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For more information, please contact:
Janice Murray
TELUS Health Solutions
416 487-5007
Janice.murray@telus.com