Winning this global award is an honour and validates our team’s efforts to revolutionise diabetes care for individuals with advanced kidney disease. It reaffirms our commitment to improving patient outcomes and addressing healthcare disparities. This achievement would not have been possible without the invaluable support of my mentors: Professor Angus Forbes, Professor David Wheeler, Dr Miranda Rosenthal, Dr Joan Myers, and Miss Alisha Ali.
Dr Hellena Habte-Asres
10 October 2024
Visiting Research Fellow wins Global Advancing Healthcare through Innovation Award
Dr Hellena Habte-Asres developed a diabetes care model tailored for individuals with advanced kidney disease.
A Visiting Research Fellow at the Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Palliative Care has been awarded Health Icon’s Global Advancing Healthcare through Innovation Award.
Along with her team, Dr Hellena Habte-Asres who also holds a PhD in Nursing Research from the Faculty, developed a diabetes care model tailored for individuals with advanced kidney disease at a renal satellite unit in North Central London.
The aim was to enhance the existing Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) service by providing comprehensive diabetes care to those with diabetes and advanced CKD (stages 4 and 5), as well as patients undergoing haemodialysis.
To achieve this, the team implemented a holistic approach that included self-management education, lifestyle guidance, medication optimisation, cardiovascular disease prevention and psychosocial support. This model marks a significant advancement in addressing the complex needs of this patient group, ultimately improving their health outcomes and quality of life.
The patient cohort for this new care model experienced notable improvements in metabolic outcomes. The team also observed a significant rise in the use of guideline-directed therapies and successfully increased access to diabetes technology, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), within the haemodialysis population.