B. Braun and Zhiyun Health Collaborate to Launch Innovative Community-Based Service Model for Diabetes Patients
In December 2021, an article published in the international medical journal JAMA revealed that China has the largest number of adults with diabetes worldwide, totaling 140 million, with a prevalence rate that has continued to rise to 12.8%. Among patients with diabetes, many are treated with insulin. Beyond common dietary issues, improper injection techniques, irregular injection habits, and arbitrary adjustments to insulin dosage can lead to more severe consequences, not only impairing patients’ quality of life but also increasing the economic burden on families and society.
The second global survey on injection techniques in patients with diabetes revealed that the current status of insulin injection among diabetic patients in China is far from satisfactory, with widespread non-compliant injection practices. Although 30% of diabetic patients use insulin for treatment, only 37% of them achieve target glycemic control, which is closely associated with patients’ lack of standardized mastery of insulin injection techniques.
Why Is the Rate of Glycemic Control Suboptimal Among Patients Receiving Insulin Injection Therapy? The reasons are twofold: on one hand, patients in China lack a preventive mindset toward glycemic management; on the other hand, patient adherence to standardized insulin injection techniques is low. To explore ways to improve the efficacy and safety of insulin therapy for diabetes, B. Braun has partnered with Zhiyun Health to jointly establish a new model of community-based services for diabetes patients, marking an innovative step forward in enhancing the effectiveness of insulin injection therapy for diabetes management.
Since its founding in 1839, B. Braun has been dedicated to protecting and improving the health of people around the world by promoting healthy and correct lifestyles to a broader population. This time, B. Braun focuses on insulin injection issues among patients with diabetes. By adopting an approach centered on enhancing chronic disease management for diabetic patients, B. Braun has partnered with Zhiyun Health to establish a new model of effective patient community services. This initiative aims to help individuals with diabetes administer injections properly, manage blood glucose levels rationally, and achieve treatment targets safely.
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Huang Yijie, Head of New Channel Business at B. Braun China, stated that Zhiyun Health, as a “Chinese model” for digital chronic disease management, has cultivated deep expertise in managing diabetes patient communities, backed by a professional operations team and health management model. Recognizing Zhiyun’s capabilities in precision chronic disease management, the two parties reached a cooperation agreement in October 2021 and officially launched the “B. Braun–Zhiyun Diabetes Friends Official Exchange Group” on November 10. Focusing on comprehensive management for diabetes patients, the group has delivered diverse professional services, earning high recognition from patients and achieving phased results.
The “Bei Ai Tang You Official Communication Group” was officially established on November 10, 2021.
“Through nearly three months of building a professional system within the official Bei Ai Tang You community, we found that the main concerns of insulin injection patients include: injection pain, subcutaneous induration, medication leakage, and increasing insulin dosage without effective blood glucose control,” said Huang Yijie. To enhance the awareness of safe injection practices among these insulin-using patients, the project team launched the 28-Day Bei Qingsong Precision Injection Training Camp on February 7, 2022.
This injection training camp ingeniously integrates questionnaires, health tips, check-in activities, audio lectures, daily Q&A sessions, and follow-up forms into a structured curriculum. It delivers professional commentary on injection techniques, monitoring, and dietary management through innovative group-based interactions. By leveraging patient education, community engagement, and comprehensive management strategies, the program provides patients with precise behavioral and awareness education alongside tailored health services. Furthermore, it employs digital tools to conduct multidimensional health assessments, accurately and individually evaluate each patient’s progress in the educational program, and generate health records and user profiles. A professional medical team then delivers targeted education and services based on these insights, helping individuals with diabetes rapidly master injection techniques, avoid common pitfalls, and establish correct injection habits.
Ultimately, the number of injection-related issues within 28 days decreased from seven to one, marking an impressive 86% reduction. The camp concluded successfully and smoothly. A participant with diabetes, who attended the entire training program, happily shared, “Through this training camp, I learned proper injection techniques and developed good habits, including standardized insulin injection, timely blood glucose monitoring, and a healthy diet and lifestyle.”
Diverse Check-in Activities in the Group
At the closing ceremony, Huang Yijie from B. Braun Medical stated, “Through precise outreach via private-domain operations and adhering to the service philosophy of ‘Safe Injection, Effective Glucose Control,’ we developed accurate user personas centered on ‘insulin injection.’ Following preliminary recruitment, preparation, and the establishment of user tags, we completed community building and launched a new model of innovative community management for targeted users.”
Zuo Yinghui, Vice President and General Manager of Zhiyun Health Group, stated that this collaboration with B. Braun to co-create a new model for diabetes patient community services represents another innovative endeavor by Zhiyun Health in its deep exploration of digital chronic disease management. As the company continues to deepen its engagement in the field of chronic disease management, Zhiyun Health is committed to leveraging digital solutions to develop more service models tailored to patient needs in chronic conditions, with diabetes as a representative example. By providing higher-quality chronic disease management services, the company aims to extend more precise, efficient, and safe medical and healthcare services to a broader base of patients.
A representative from B. Braun Medical stated that through innovative explorations in digital chronic disease management with Zhiyun Health, new pathways for managing patients with chronic conditions have been identified. Moving forward, the company will continue to focus on chronic disease patient management. Building on the successful completion of Phase I, they hope to engage more individuals with diabetes (“sugar friends”) to broaden the adoption of safe injection practices among this population.