To optimize diabetes care and treatment, researchers interviewed endocrinologists about improving telemedicine services. Keep reading to learn how the study led to insights that might enhance your care.
For people with diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, specialized diabetes care delivered by an endocrinologist or other physician and care team is critical to overall health and quality of life.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is quite vocal in their recommendations to all diabetes patients that making routine doctor visits is a critical factor in maintaining maximum control over blood sugar and avoiding diabetes-related such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetic neuropathy, and many others.
Over recent years, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services (also called telemedicine) have grown in popularity so that doctors and their diabetic patients can connect more frequently and conveniently. Telehealth has also made it possible for those living in underserved or remote areas to access healthcare specialists, such as endocrinologists, to receive the particular diabetes care they need to thrive.
So, the pandemic, as complex of a time as it was, opened up a whole new way for doctors and patients to collaborate and improve overall diabetes care. However, telehealth is still a relatively new care strategy, and, as they say, there is always room for improvement, which is precisely what this new research involving endocrinologists discussing their first-hand insights set out to uncover.
Why Examine Telehealth For Diabetes?
The study, published the week of July 22, 2024, in The Journal of Clinical Diabetes, was conducted by researchers who interviewed clinicians and caregivers who regularly provide diabetes care using telehealth platforms.
What did they seek to discover by digging into the front lines of mobile care?
Associate Professor of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at UC Davis and one of the authors of the study, Polly Fu Teng, stated, “Telehealth has the potential to play an important role in diabetes care, but there are variations for optimizing how this care is delivered. We worked to identify expert views on practices that positively and negatively impact providing telehealth specialty diabetes care.”
Essentially, the researchers were curious to find what was working and what wasn’t when it comes to telehealth and diabetes management, and what better way than by interviewing those with a first-hand understanding of the experience? What they found might help guide new best practices for these programs to make telemedicine an even more effective part of diabetes care and management in the future.
What Did The Study Reveal?
The research yielded some expected thoughts and other insights that telehealth providers may have overlooked. Here are five key takeaways from the data gathered.
- It is vital that providers have a dedicated staff member who can obtain data from patients using digital devices, such as CGMs, ahead of the telehealth appointment. This saves time and helps avoid confusion during the visit. Still, it also takes the burden off of older patients who may not be as digitally literate as their younger counterparts and, therefore, not as prepared to share data.
- Incorporating a team-based approach into telehealth visits was also critical to improving care. If doctors, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, educators, and other specialists can convene with the patient, it facilitates collaboration and allows for a cohesive diabetes management program.
- Follow-up visits, whether in person or virtually, are critical to ensure patients don’t experience a gap in care. Telehealth should not replace face-to-face visits entirely but rather be used to augment great care.
- Telehealth works best from home. Many of us have become accustomed to conducting business meetings and other events while driving our cars, riding in trains, shopping, or anywhere else we happen to be on the go. However, regarding diabetes management, being settled at home for telehealth visits was most effective, allowing patients to focus more intently on the conversation.
- Researchers also found that telehealth video conferences were a very effective way for doctors to “share screens,” go over patient glucose data, and review lifestyle goals, milestones, and areas where challenges still exist. Telehealth is a great vehicle for doctors and patients to conduct detailed diabetes treatment updates.
“I hope the findings of our study will spark discussion around how we can optimize telehealth and take advantage of its unique capabilities to improve patient care, rather than trying to replicate the in-person visit,” said Sarah Haynes, Assistant Professor from the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics and a co-author of the study.
Telehealth Takeaways
Video-conference healthcare visits will never and should never replace those regular, in-person visits to your endocrinologist. Seeing your doctor for regular exams is one of the tenets of proper diabetes care. However, when appropriately used to enhance diabetes management, telehealth can be an extremely effective tool for optimizing diabetes treatment, self-care, and overall patient health. We live in a digital communication age, and using it to maximize healthcare adds tremendous advantages for providers and patients.
FAQs
What are some of the advantages of telehealth for diabetes care?
Telehealth (telemedicine) is a great way for patients and physicians to augment care. Some advantages include the convenience telehealth brings to all parties, the ability for doctors to connect with patients in remote or underserved communities and the ease with which blood glucose trends and other diabetes data can be shared over screens.
Can telehealth replace in-person doctor visits?
No. Telehealth should always be used to augment medical care for diabetes or any other chronic condition. Video conferencing should never replace face-to-face visits or in-person examinations.
How do I use telehealth services?
Please speak with your endocrinologist or healthcare team to discuss how they are incorporating telemedicine into their patient care programs. In general, you can use telehealth to ask specific questions regarding care or medication, review your blood sugar history, and gain insight from dieticians, educators, and other caregivers who might be able to improve your diabetes management.
Are you a patient or healthcare provider with additional insights about telehealth services that might be helpful for our readers? Please share them in the comment section below. Thanks, and stay diabetes healthy!
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