Using Health Information Technology to Prevent and Treat Diabetes

Patients with diabetes often need a complex set of services and support ranging from glucose monitoring, insulin and other medication management, psychotherapy and social support, to physical activity promotion, nutrition counselling and more. To be successful, patients must not only understand their condition, but also obtain the skills and attitudes to set goals, solve problems, monitor outcomes and overcome barriers to action. Patients and clinicians need to work together so patients with diabetes can adopt and sustain the health-promoting behaviours so necessary to assure good outcomes. Information technology is transforming the way patients receive education and support and clinicians need to utilise these approaches to maximise their reach and effectiveness. Providers are increasingly expected to coordinate care for a panel of patients who live with incurable chronic conditions such as diabetes. Clinicians will have to collaborate with their patients and focus on improving their behaviours, because treating diabetes and other chronic conditions requires more than medication. Providers will need to put emphasis on supporting patients in the ongoing process of adopting and sustaining health-promoting habits. Integrating these supports into a patient’s therapeutic regimen presents challenges that need to be addressed through a variety of strategies. Regrettably, given the significant time constraints of a busy medical practice, healthcare providers often do not have the time to adequately support all aspects of an effective behaviour change intervention. That is where information technology can have some of its greatest impact. This chapter will present papers in which information technology has been used to improve the quality of care for patients with diabetes, to enable clinicians to more effectively manage their patients and to help patients self-manage their diabetes.