Understanding diabetes: First 30 days
Before joining NowPatient, I worked at another health-tech start-up with a similar mission – to empower people with long-term conditions, like diabetes, to better manage their everyday lives. I had designed for a number of different complex health conditions but never diabetes.
Diabetes experience
My diabetes experience prior to joining NowPatient was limited to a simplistic understanding from having a close friend living with type 1 diabetes. Admittedly, in hindsight, I was naive and my understanding of diabetes management was highly oversimplified. It followed the logic that specific foods increased a person’s blood glucose level, which required enough insulin to be injected to lower it, balancing these factors. If these weren’t balanced correctly, there was the potential for the person to have dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) or dangerously high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Simple, right?
Far from it. Since joining NowPatient, my empathy for what it is like to live with diabetes mellitus has been forever increasing. I’m very quickly learning that living with diabetes can make everything in life harder if the equilibrium between a number of factors isn’t found. Factors like the hormones in our body or the weather, things we have no control over, can impact our blood sugar levels and the symptoms of diabetes. For most people, the impact of these is minimal, but for people living with diabetes, the effect of these on blood sugar can, over time, have long-lasting consequences. These factors, as well as many more, appear obvious now, but it is easy to lack an understanding of what, in everyday life, is an invisible health condition.
For each person, the experience of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes is unique, with each having various ways to try to keep their sugars within range. People with diabetes need to consider some of the following: whether their diabetes medication is working correctly, their carbohydrate intake, when to take their insulin injections, when it’s best to do physical activity, establishing a healthy life with healthy eating habits and meal plans for weight loss, keeping cholesterol levels within range and awareness of diabetes complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis, heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and potential nerve damage. There is a whole array of factors for people with diabetes to consider. However, continual reevaluation and guesstimation with diabetes care can bring a heavy mental burden. In addition to balancing glucose, this can lead to a negative impact on physical and mental well-being. Balancing the factors that a person with diabetes can control can be overwhelming, but technology is there to help.
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Unfortunately, most current apps and devices focus on healthcare, recording and reporting, and the perspective of treating diabetes and fail to alleviate the burden of planning everyday life. This is why I’m glad to be designing at NowPatient, helping to develop a future-focused App for people with diabetes.
Our goal is to help alleviate some of the everyday mental burdens of planning by helping our users visualise how the factors they control impact their blood glucose, as well as assisting them in making better-informed decisions based on their collective past experiences.
Having only been at NowPatient for a short while, I’m conscious there is much more to learn from our users and people living with diabetes. I’m incredibly grateful for those who’ve shared their stories and experiences with me so far.
Medical Disclaimer
NowPatient has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that all material is factually accurate, complete, and current. However, the knowledge and experience of a qualified healthcare professional should always be sought after instead of using the information on this page. Before taking any drug, you should always speak to your doctor or another qualified healthcare provider.
The information provided here about medications is subject to change and is not meant to include all uses, precautions, warnings, directions, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or negative effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a particular medication does not imply that the medication or medication combination is appropriate for all patients or for all possible purposes.
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NowPatient is an online pharmacy & telehealth service that is available in the US and UK. Our service is FREE and packed with useful features that can help you save money on the cost of your medications, access virtual treatments, and provide tools that can help improve your overall health.
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UK users can safely and securely buy medicines online that treat a wide range of medical conditions. UK customers can also order NHS prescriptions online with the benefit of free tracked delivery.
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Where is NowPatient located?
NowPatient has offices in the United Kingdom and United States.
In the UK, we are located at:
NowPatient
28 Chipstead Valley Road
Coulsdon
Surrey
CR52RA
In the US, we are located at:
NowPatient
8911 North Capital of Texas Highway
Suite 4200 #1263
78759
Austin, TX
How can I contact NowPatient?
To contact NowPatient, please use the contact form available on the Contact Us page.
Alternatively, if you need to speak to us, you can reach us on the following numbers:
UK telephone number – 020 388 51 500
US telephone number – 1-866-967-1977
Who owns NowPatient?
NowPatient is owned and operated by Infohealth Ltd, a licensed online pharmacy with services spanning the UK, US and Rest of the World. Infohealth Ltd is registered in England and Wales under company number 04004930 and our registered office is at Lynwood House, 373 – 375 Station Road, Harrow, England, HA1 2AW.
Our website is www.nowpatient.com. Our App is called “NowPatient” and can be downloaded from the App Store (for Apple devices) or Google Play (for Android devices).
Can you tell me more about your NHS online pharmacy?
NowPatient’s Pharmaceutical services in the UK are provided by Infohealth Limited trading as ‘Infohealth Pharmacy’.
Our dispensing pharmacy is regulated and authorized for internet sales by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), registration number 1036487. You can view our license credentials on the General Pharmaceutical Council website. Our superintendent pharmacist who is responsible for the safe and effective oversight of medicines supplies is Mr Amish Patel (Registration Number 2042705).
Medicines are not ordinary items of commerce. All medicines or healthcare product sales are made under the supervision of a registered pharmacist who is licensed by the GPhC. At all times, we endeavour to provide a professional and transparent service whose primary goal is to ensure that the best interests of the patient are served.
How do I make a complaint?
From time to time, we accept that our service levels may not be up to your expectations. NowPatient welcomes concerns, compliments and complaints as valuable feedback that will help us learn from your experiences and make improvements. Feedback can be provided via our clear and transparent Complaints Procedures.
Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s prescribing services for treatments offered?
Our prescribing services are regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). We provide the following regulated activity:
• treatment of disease, disorder, or injury
• transport services, triage, and medical advice are provided remotely
• caring for adults over 65 years old
• caring for adults under 65 years old
NowPatient prescribing services are run by Infohealth Limited. The Clinical Safety Officer and nominated individual is Mr Navin Khosla.
Can you tell me more about NowPatient’s US services?
Our head of US services is Dr. Jamie Winn.
You can lower the cost of your prescription medications using our various savings programs which include drug coupons, savings card and manufacturer-sponsored patient assistance programs.
We do not provide any prescribing services or dispensing services in the United States.
Is NowPatient legit and can I trust information from NowPatient?
Yes. NowPatient provides trustworthy and accessible clinical, health education and prescription services. We are also trusted by the NHS to deliver clinical and NHS repeat prescription dispensing across the whole of England. In the United States, we work with over 65,000 pharmacies to deliver considerable costs savings for our users.
NowPatient is operated by experienced licensed medical professionals in the United Kingdom and United States. Our Medical Team can be found here.
Our service is trusted by thousands of patients worldwide. You can read their reviews on our Trustpilot:
What are NowPatient’s opening hours?
Our office hours are:
UK – Monday-Friday 9am-6pm GMT
US – Monday-Friday 8am-5pm EST
Please note that we are closed at weekends.
In the event of a medical life-threatening emergency please call:
UK – 999
US – 911
In the event of a medical emergency which is not life-threatening please call:
UK – 111