Distal technologies and type 1 diabetes management

Publication date: Available online 31 August 2017 Source:The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Author(s): Danny C Duke, Samantha Barry, David V Wagner, Jane Speight, Pratik Choudhary, Michael A Harris Type 1 diabetes requires intensive self-management to avoid acute and long-term health complications. In the past two decades, substantial advances in technology have enabled more effective and convenient self-management of type 1 diabetes. Although proximal technologies (eg, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, closed-loop and artificial pancreas systems) have been the subject of frequent systematic and narrative reviews, distal technologies have received scant attention. Distal technologies refer to electronic systems designed to provide a service remotely and include heterogeneous systems such as telehealth, mobile health applications, game-based support, social platforms, and patient portals. In this Review, we summarise the empirical literature to provide current information about the effectiveness of available distal technologies to improve type 1 diabetes management. We also discuss privacy, ethics, and regulatory considerations, issues of global adoption, knowledge gaps in distal technology, and recommendations for future directions.
Source: The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research