19.6.2015
- uniGluko is an integrated solution for safe, accurate and timely transfer and reading of blood sugar level measurement data and support of diabetes management
- The service is hosted at the Hrvatski Telekom Data Centre and in its pilot phase already deployed in several hospitals
- Deutsche Telekom's startup accelerator hub:raum is taking care of the development of the uniGluko company
Within a broad range of support for startup companies, from the co-organisation of the Business Wall of Fame contest to the sponsoring of events such as Idea Knockout, Hrvatski Telekom has been strongly supporting the ground-breaking uniGluko system that offers a solution for diabetes data analysis.
uniGluko is an integrated solution for safe, accurate and timely transfer and reading of blood sugar level measurement data and support of diabetes management that substantially increases the patient's quality of life, has an impact on the outcome of treatments and reduces costs in the healthcare system. In addition, uniGluko provides support to both doctors and patients in the treatment of diabetes.
“The system was developed by the company SD Informatika and by researchers from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing. Its potential was recognized by Hrvatski Telekom in an early phase, so we participated in the shaping of the final service and in raising it to production level, including accommodation at the Hrvatski Telekom Data Centre and assigning of top scalability and security level”, said Marijo Volarević, Director of the E-Company Department at Hrvatski Telekom.
The system is in its pilot phase and already deployed in several hospitals in cooperation with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. It has been presented to a delegation of the World Health Organisation and to several patients' associations and expert groups.
According to experts' estimates, 80 percent of the cases of complications associated with diabetes, such as blindness and amputations, could be prevented if all patients ate healthy diets, exercised regularly, and checked their blood sugar levels daily. The integrity of measured data is often a problem for healthcare professionals, among other things, due to a high number of different glucometers in the market, each managed by its own software and connector – while patients' notes are often incorrect.
uniGluko's integrated diabetes solution includes hardware and software for the doctor’s office, mobile application and device for the patient as well as a Cloud-based backend. The solution connects to almost all glucometer types, which makes it easier for patients and doctors to keep track of blood sugar levels. Since data are stored in the cloud and accessible from anywhere, the doctor is able to easily read the measurements and optimise the patient's treatment plan.
Luka Celić, Director of uniGluko company, stated that presently uniGluko is one of the best solutions worldwide in terms of technology as far as digital transfer of blood sugar level data is concerned, as it offers a solution for connecting to and analysing data from a large number of glucometer types. By means of this innovative device for diabetes patients and a device for doctors, data are transferred from the glucometer to the Cloud-based central server in just a couple of tens of seconds. Both doctors and diabetes patients can view the transferred data on a computer or on a smartphone. The system offers benefits to diabetes patients in terms of adherence to therapy, as well as to healthcare systems in better keeping track of this disease. uniGluko's ground-breaking quality and benefits were recognised not only by doctors and patients, but also by other participants in the healthcare system: the Federation of Diabetes Patients' Association, the patients, the Ministry of Health, the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, healthcare professionals and representatives of glucometer manufacturers.
The founders of uniGluko are Ratko Mađarević, Luka Celić, Saša Cvetojević and SD Informatika with Siniša Drobnjak at the helm. At the beginning of June, the German telecommunications giant, Deutsche Telekom, with more than 198 million customers in over 50 countries all over the world, invested in uniGluko through its business incubator Hub:raum, preparing the system for the market. According to DT's assessment, the company's valuation exceeds one million euro.
„We have been in contact with the uniGluko team for quite a long time. Considering the complexity of their product and business model, a lot of tuning was required, but now I can say with confidence that uniGluko is a unique combination of scientific and entrepreneurial spirit that will put Croatia on the European map as a country with one of the most advanced digital e-health systems. The project came into being as a result of research work and, along with the right combination of support and entrepreneurial approach, transformed into something truly unique. With Hrvatski Telekom, uniGluko was given a new dimension and the possibility to scale the product to the rest of Europe“, said Luka Sučić from hub:raum.
More about the uniGluko system: www.unigluko.com