Clinical evidence behind Florence

Erin meets ‘Flo’ Erin is 16 years old, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12 years old.

Florence, or Flo for short, is a simple but effective messaging system that is enhancing the care of patients with diabetes living in North Derbyshire who are referred to the Derbyshire Community Health Service (DCHS) Community Diabetes Team.

The Parkinson's disease nurse specialist team at City Hospitals Sunderland uses Florence so patients can send sitting and standing blood pressure readings from home. The aim is to detect postural hypotension earlier and reduce the risk of falls and hospital admission.

Florence feels more like a friend than a computer system. The diabetes and endocrinology team in Sandwell began using Florence in 2013.

Michelle Denyer Diabetes Specialist Nurse Three weeks with Florence and I could stop taking insulin Brenda Greaves is a retired Nurse with a good number of years’ experience working in the National Health Service (NHS).

Midwives at the Royal Victoria Infirmary use Florence so women with gestational diabetes can send blood glucose readings from home. The service reports that women feel more in control, with less need for prescriptions and fewer babies born in extreme percentile ranges as pregnancies last longer.