NHS to assess data-recording insulin pen device

Up to 300 patients in England are to test a novel insulin pen accessory able to record usage data as part of a national NHS Test Bed programme exploring new models of care.

Under NHS England’s Test Bed initiative, NHS sites evaluate the real world impact of new technologies that have the potential to offer both better care and better value for taxpayers, with a view to rolling them out across the nation if they prove successful.

InsulCheck Connect is a snap-on accessory for disposable insulin pen users developed by Irish med tech group Innovation Zed, that automatically collects and records pen usage and behaviour data 'on the go'.

The device, which will assessed within the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Perfect Patient Pathway Test Bed, is to be offered to diabetic patients at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, as part of a programme designed to better support them to manage their condition.

The concept is to marry the data collected by InsulCheck Connect with other key information such as sugar level readings to create a new package of support for diabetic patients that will enable them and their medical professionals to improve the management of the condition and thus secure better health outcomes.

"Our research with insulin pen users highlights that, as with other conditions, injection compliance is significantly below what is prescribed. We firmly believe that this work will demonstrate that our insulin pen accessory can greatly improve injection compliance and generate better health outcomes for people with diabetes," said John Hughes, Innovation Zed’s chief executive.