Prince Philip Hospital Consultant at heart of study to improve diabetes self-management | Ymgynghorydd yn Ysbyty Tywysog Philip wrth wraidd astudiaeth i wella’r broses o hunanreoli diabetes

Cafodd cyfres o ffilmiau byrion eu ‘rhagnodi’ i bobl a oedd newydd gael diagnosis o ddiabetes math 2, ochr yn ochr â thriniaethau safonol, a hynny gan feddyg teulu neu nyrs practis mewn dau bractis meddyg teulu ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda a Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg.

Roeddent yn cynnwys teitlau fel ‘What is diabetes?’; ‘What can I eat?’; ‘Diabetes and weight’; ‘Looking after your feet’; ‘Stopping smoking’; a ‘Medication and monitoring’.

Ar ôl dim ond 3 mis, dangosodd profion rheolaidd welliant arwyddocaol yn glinigol o ran HbA1c – marciwr sefydledig ar gyfer rheoli diabetes. Ar y llaw arall, ni welwyd gostyngiad o ran HbA1c yn y rhai nad oeddent wedi gwylio’r ffilmiau.

Dywedodd sefydlydd yr astudiaeth, Dr Sam Rice, Meddyg Ymgynghorol ac Endocrinolegydd yn Ysbyty Tywysog Philip, a Dirprwy Gyfarwyddwr Ymchwil a Datblygu ar gyfer Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda: “Mae presgripsiynau digidol yn annog pobl i gyrchu gwybodaeth iechyd arbenigol, cyngor ymarferol a chefnogaeth emosiynol o gysur eu cartref eu hunain”.

“Gall cleifion a gofalwyr wylio pob ffilm ysgogiadol gynifer o weithiau ag sy’n ofynnol ac, yn hollbwysig, ar adeg pan fo’r unigolyn yn wynebu her iechyd newydd,” meddai.

Ychwanegodd Dr Rice, “Gyda hunanreoli gan y claf yn cael ei gydnabod fel triniaeth gynyddol bwysig, mae’n galonogol gweld bod yr ateb cost isel a phosibl hwn yn cyrraedd llawer mwy o gleifion nag a fyddai’r achos fel arall.

“Trwy ragor o ymchwil, efallai y byddwn hyd yn oed yn gweld bod llwyddiant y broses o wylio ffilm yn dod yn gam i hwyluso ac annog pobl sy’n byw â chlefyd cronig i fynychu rhaglenni addysgol mwy strwythuredig.”

Cynhaliwyd yr astudiaeth gan Brifysgol Abertawe, a hynny ar y cyd â Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda, Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, a Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a’r Fro. Cafodd ei chefnogi hefyd gan raglen Hyrwyddwyr Clinigol Diabetes UK.

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A small pilot study has found watching short health information films online, via smartphone or tablet, can help patients with type 2 diabetes reduce their blood glucose level.

A series of short films were ‘prescribed’ to people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, alongside standard treatments, by a GP or practice nurse at two GP practices within Hywel Dda University Health Board and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.

They included titles such as ‘What is diabetes?’; ‘What can I eat?’; ‘Diabetes and weight’; ‘Looking after your feet’; ‘Stopping smoking’; and ‘Medication and monitoring’.

After just 3-months, routine tests showed a clinically significant improvement in HbA1c – an established marker of diabetes control. In contrast, no reduction in HbA1c was observed in the non-watchers.

Study author Dr Sam Rice, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist at Prince Philip Hospital, and Deputy Research and Development Director for Hywel Dda UHB, said: “Digital prescriptions encourage people to access expert health information, practical advice and emotional support from the comfort of their own home.

“Each motivational film can be watched by patients and carers as many times as required and, crucially, at a time when the individual faces a new health challenge,” he said.

Dr Rice added, “With patient self-management widely recognised as an increasingly important treatment it is encouraging to see that this low cost and scalable solution is reaching many more patients than would otherwise be the case.

“Through further research, we may even find that the success of the film-watching becomes a stepping-stone to facilitate and encourage people living with a chronic disease to attend more structured educational programmes.”

The study was undertaken by Swansea University in collaboration with Hywel Dda University Health Board, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. It was also supported by the Diabetes UK Clinical Champions programme.