Specialist midwife shares her story at national diabetes conference
A Specialist Diabetes Midwife who lives with type 1 diabetes has shared her experience about using new technology during her pregnancy at a national conference.
Nina Willer took part in the AiDAPT clinical trial at the NNUH in 2021 which investigated the use Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) technology for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes.
Our hospital was one of the lead recruiting sites which investigated the benefit of using the cutting-edge technology to manage patients’ blood sugar levels. The system comprises of a glucose sensor, an insulin pump and an algorithm, known as Hybrid Closed Loop. The device takes the information from the sensor, processes it based on the patient’s previous patterns and the settings, and makes a treatment decision to alter the amount of insulin given to keep blood glucose levels stable.
Nina said: “We found the HCL improves a woman’s blood sugars, giving them an improved time in range, which results in better outcomes for mum and baby. They also really help to improve the diabetes burden of the user, because there is much less work involved. It gives them a much better quality of life.”
The results of the trial informed national guidance, called the NICE Technology Appraisal. They found HCL are beneficial for everyone with type 1 diabetes and their implementation is now being cascaded through priority groups including patients in pregnancy, pre-pregnancy, children and people with high long term blood sugar patterns.
Since the trial, all pregnant women with type 1 diabetes are offered the hybrid close loop at NNUH and the department has been highlighted for its exemplar work at regional road shows and in an NHS England webinar. In October, Nina gave a presentation about the successful roll out of HCL at NNUH to 1,200 healthcare professionals including diabetes doctors, obstetricians, specialist midwives, specialist nurses, dieticians and policy makers.
Nina fell pregnant while the trial was being carried out and was able to take part as a patient. She spoke about her experience as a service user at the Diabetes in Pregnancy conference organised by Diabetes UK on 12 November. Professor Helen Murphy and Dr Tara Lee who led the trial, also spoke at the event.
Nina said: “Because I was involved in supporting patients on the trial, I could see early on the positive benefits of using the system. I was planning on using it as soon as it was publicly available anyway. When I became pregnant and had the opportunity to take part in the trial, I jumped at the chance, and I’ve not looked back. It’s been completely life changing. I hope more Trusts will adopt the use of the system. It’s transformative for people with diabetes.”