DiabeMe promises to help diabetes patients and their environment. "I know how diabetes can impact lives"

Last year, during one of their classes, Fleur, Mikki and Lieke were set the challenge of coming up with a technological application that would help patients who had chronic diseases. The three nursing  students got started on a case study about a young girl who had type 1 diabetes. Lieke explains: "We weren’t actually set an assignment or anything. We were just supposed to have a brainstorming session together. In fact, we didn’t even have to develop our concept on paper. But, by the end of class, all three of us were so enthusiastic that we had already come up with the name DiabeMe – a combination of the word Diabetes and Me.”

Tamagotchi

At first, the students came up with an idea that involved keeping a character alive – somewhat reminiscent of Tamagotchi, which used to be immensely popular back in the day. "This was the concept we presented in class" says Mikki. "But, research shows this wasn’t what the target group wanted." Lieke clarifies: "In the end, we discovered there were almost no apps offering support or help to people who had diabetes. This made us think: ‘perhaps we should do something along those lines’".

Uncertain

And so the three classmates decided to design an app that would serve as a guide for diabetes patients and their environment. Fleur has a sister who has type 1 diabetes. She told her parents about the concept. "They thought it was a really good idea. Not all children become really ill in the initial stages of the disease, but my sister was in the ICU in Groningen for quite a few days. I also think everyone feels quite uncertain when the diabetes patient returns home. Probably most people have thoughts such as ‘what now?’. It transpires it wasn’t just my parents that felt this way. A lot of parents had similar thoughts and uncertainties. This gave us the impetus to try and find an app developer as soon as possible."

Instantly enthusiastic

It soon became clear, however, that using a professional app developer would be far too expensive. After all, students tend not to have €40,000 to spare. Eventually, the students heard about the Centre of Entrepreneurship from others. Lieke tells us: "When Fleur and I went there for the first time, we asked if there was someone we could speak to. It was at that very moment that Rob Reuvekamp introduced himself to us and told us he had time to speak to us.  He was instantly enthusiastic about what we had to say and felt strongly that we should pursue our objective.  After some time, we found an organisation in Rotterdam that has a great deal of know-how when it comes to apps for chronic diseases. And this is how we came up with the DiabeMe app."

Game covers psychosocial aspects

The app has two key features: a game and a logbook. The game focuses on the disease’s psychosocial aspects. It confronts the player with various scenarios, such as: ‘when starting in a new class, how would you tell other students you have diabetes?’. Or, ‘how would you deal with bullying?’. Mikki explains: "The player has to make decisions as to what they would do per situation, and their decisions affect what happens during the remainder of the game. The aim is to get players to learn from the decisions they make." Lieke tells us: "It’s more about social situations than about keeping someone alive, as the latter has slightly negative connotations associated with it."

Fleur adds: "We think the psychosocial aspect is very important as well. I saw that with my own sister. I can’t tell her anything she doesn’t already know about her disease – she is very well-informed. But when she goes off to university in a new city, everything will be new and different. That’s when she will need guidance and support."

Logbook

The app also has a ton of suggestions and tips, as well as informative videos. Users can also opt to keep a logbook. For instance, they can use the logbook to record their blood sugar levels after exercising or to keep track of how they are feeling.   Mikki tells us: "Of course, there are other apps out there that help users record their carbs, but our app really offers multiple features in one package. Ultimately, we want to get to a point where nurses can see all the data with one touch of a button."

Dragons’ Den

It wasn’t just the Centrum van Ondernemerschap that was impressed with the concept. The students recently received a Takeoff subsidy from governing UAS body, SIA, which offers students, who have creative ideas, financial support to do a feasibility study. Lieke says: “We only had two months to apply, which wasn’t really enough time but we decided to go for it anyway." Fleur adds: "We pitched our idea online and it felt a bit as if we were in the TV programme ‘Dragon’s Den!’" Mikki goes on: "When we actually won, I remember thinking ‘Wow this is for real now.’"

Client during Smart Solutions Semester

It definitely became real for the students when they took on the role of client during the Smart Solutions Semester. Fleur and Mikki are hoping that their fellow students’ research will help them gain more insight into their target group’s needs. It is, of course, quite unusual that Fleur and Mikki will also be participating in the Smart Solutions Semester as students. Mikki tell us: "It’s quite bizarre. Fleur and I will be taking on the role of both client and student in this project. We hope that, in addition to conducting a target group analysis, we will be able to create a prototype and write a business plan. Of course, the objective is not to make money but we do need to keep the app up and running. We are just not sure how to do this yet. So we will make sure this is looked into as well."

Unreal

Patients can’t download the app yet, but they will be able to use the website (in Dutch), which is fully functional. The students are gradually moving towards the final end result, and that feels somewhat unreal. Lieke, who couldn’t work on the app anymore due to time constraints, comments: "We keep saying to one another ‘it all started with a small class assignment and look at where we are now!’"  Mikki tell us: "I know that I sometimes tend to jump the gun a bit and so I thought ‘this isn’t going to go anywhere.’ But while we were working on our subsidy application, I noticed people were really enthusiastic about our idea and I started to believe in it a bit more."

Fleur never thought they would come so far. She says: "I would never have thought of myself as the entrepreneurial type. But it turns out that I am. I think this all might be that bit more special for me as I am aware of the impact diabetes can have on lives – not just on the patient, but also on their environment."  She concludes: "Perhaps DiabeMe will turn out to be a stepping stone in terms of apps for other chronic diseases, but our main objective is to help as many people as possible."