NEWS
NEWS
REPORT
The quest for good info about
his diabetes and potential
complications from the
condition lead Chris Genders
to create the Intellin app.
Intelligent Info
A
n international app could
help prevent diabetes
complications. Intellin,
by Gendius, allows
you to track how you
are managing your diabetes - such as
recording blood sugars, carbohydrate
intake, body mass index, and insulin
dosages - with the unique benefit of the
app indicating your risk of developing
complications.
During the setup, you are taken
through three sections of background
questions, and the app uses these to
generate a risk profile. The app then sends
daily hints and tips on how to limit the risk
of these complications. The platform has
been built after extensive collaboration
with people with diabetes and healthcare
professionals.
Gendius co-founder Chris Genders,
who has Type 2 diabetes, says, "After
being diagnosed with diabetes… it is great
to now see an app on the marketplace
that is unique and based around the
individual's needs. Everyone's diabetes is
different but the complications we go onto
develop are the same. The name Intellin
came from 'intelligent information'. We
wanted a smarter app to look at - more
of a satnav showing direction of travel - a
look at the road ahead - more than just a
simple tracker, which tend to look at the
road through the rearview mirror, what's
happened in the past."
Three tiers
Gender's experienced a
diagnosis of diabetes when
he was 50, and although he
was diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes, he was on insulin
within three months. He
says, Therefore I know what
it's like for people with Type
1 too, injecting insulin and
blood testing for patterns
and to avoid highs and
lows."
As mentioned, the app has three
tiers. Genders explains, "The first requires
basic information such as your name,
ethnicity, date of birth. The second level is
information about your diabetes that you
are likely to know yourself. The third and
final level is more clinical and may need
input from your HCP."
In all there are 32 questions over all
the sections. "It can still work just on the
basic level," says Genders, "but once
all the factors are put in it can start to
predict likely outcomes more accurately.
So, if one of the factors inputted is that
you have high blood pressure, the app
will tell you that this adds to your risk of
developing diabetic retinopathy."
It's not all bad news though, the app
includes a library of hints and tips that can
help steer you towards slowing down the
disease progression and related risk of
complications.
Genders has now been on insulin
for 15 years and says, "While I quickly
understood about blood testing, insulin
injection and being careful with my diet,
I also realised I still had to get on with
life. I also appreciate that getting this
kind of information can be quite scary for
some people, therefore it will not appeal
to everyone. It is difficult to tread the
line between trying to motivate people
by giving them information about likely
outcomes, and just scaring them. If they
are scared, they are likely to go into denial
and not be able to act. But diabetes is
not a benign disease; the app is meant
to show you that if you can improve your
control, you can improve your outcomes.
It is meant to assist you."
Download on the Apple App Store and
Google Play.