Diabetes is the largest non-communicable disease (NCD) in India. As per the latest Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study, India has over 10 crore people with diabetes and over 13 crore with pre-diabetes, with several states where dysglycaemia (abnormalities in blood glucose levels) prevalence has crossed 25%!
The landscape of diabetes management is undergoing rapid evolution on a global scale, with the integration of digital tools and technologies playing a pivotal role in this transformation. There are opportunities to use digital technologies through every stage of the patient's healthcare journey - from screening and diagnosis, evidence-based patient care, home care, and the prevention and management of complications. Digital technologies are enhancing the overall quality of care, expanding access and optimizing cost-effectiveness. In addition, availability of high quality patient data at scale is critical to driving research and development, and public health policies.
RSSDI 52nd Annual Conference, focusing on enhancing diabetes care through research, clinical standards, digital health, and technology, November 2024
The Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) is the largest association of physicians dedicated to the care of people with diabetes in Asia, with over 13,000 members across 23 states in India. Koita Foundation is honoured to partner with RSSDI and set up the RSSDI-Koita Centre for Digital Diabetology (KCDD).
RSSDI’s mission is to advance research and innovation to improve diabetes care, and drive diabetes prevention in India. RSSDI collaborates with several national and international organizations, promotes capacity building, and drives standardization of diabetes care.
Koita Foundation signed an MOU with RSSDI in April 2024 to establish the RSSDI - Koita Centre for Digital Diabetology (KCDD); a first-of-its-kind centre focusing on Digital Diabetology in India. KCDD has a strong healthcare technology team which will assist in defining and executing national Digital programs in diabetes management & research.
KCDD Vision: Leverage Digital technologies to meaningfully improve Diabetes management and drive Diabetes research and innovation in India.
Visit www.kcdd.in
KCDD-RSSDI Digital Health Focus
Diabetes Care Quality
Drive use of Diabetes-specific Clinic Management Systems (CMS), implement evidence-based guidelines, clinical quality measures.
Access to Care
Improve access to high quality Diabetes care in non-urban, rural areas e.g., telemedicine, remote monitoring.
Clinic Productivity
Improve clinical & administrative workflows, reducing manual and redundant activities.
Data & Analytics
Establish Diabetes registries and leverage advanced AI/ML and LLM models in diabetes care.
Research & Innovation
Leverage new Digital Health technologies. Partner with health tech cos, life science companies, health insurance, academia.
Training & Capacity Building
Use Digital Health tools for continuous learning and skill development for doctors, nurses and technicians.
KCDD-RSSDI Key Initiatives
Diabetes CMS Standardization
Define Clinic Management System (CMS) diabetes requirements (incl. clinic decision support, interoperability, metrics), empanel CMS, drive CMS adoption.
Diabetes Practice Standardization
Define Standards for Diabetes Practice in Allopathic clinics (incl. KPIs), drive accreditation of NABH allopathic and diabetes standards in RSSDI community.
Diabetes Research and Grants
Sponsor innovation and research grant for startups and med tech cos. for using latest technology (including AI/ML/LLMs) in diabetes management.
Diabetes Digital Patient Education
Develop digital patient education content on diabetes prevention and care for patients, care givers, and public. Leverage digital platforms (web, mobile) to provide local, authentic, multilingual content.
Digital Health Training / Capacity Building
Develop strong Digital Health training programs including Digital Health Foundation Course (DHFC) for doctors, leveraging the RSSDI LMS platform development for doctors, nurses and technicians.
RSSDI Technology Survey 2024: Finding gaps in digital adoption in Diabetes Care
RSSDI Technology Survey 2024
The RSSDI Technology Survey 2024 was conducted to identify critical gaps in the adoption of digital tools for diabetes care in India. With responses from over 350 RSSDI members, the survey aimed to understand current digital tool usage, identify key challenges, and prioritize areas where support is most needed for digital adoption.
The survey findings revealed that while digital adoption is low (< 40% use Clinic Management Systems (CMS), and < 10% use telemedicine), there is a strong desire among RSSDI members to adopt these tools. The survey also highlighted a lack of preparedness, with members seeking RSSDI's guidance in areas like CGM integration, patient apps, clinical decision support, and advanced analytics.
By addressing these gaps, RSSDI will help its members drive positive changes in diabetes management. This survey lays the foundation for KCDD-RSSDI's digital health plans, focusing on the needs of doctors, patients, and the wider healthcare ecosystem.
To learn more about these findings: Click here