Open AccessThe Digital/Virtual Diabetes Clinic: The Future Is Now—Recommendations from an International Panel on Diabetes Digital Technologies Introduction
Author(s) -
Moshe Phillip,
Richard M. Bergenstal,
Kelly L. Close,
Thomas Danne,
Satish K. Garg,
Lutz Heinemann,
Irl B. Hirsch,
Boris Kovatchev,
Lori M. Laffel,
Viswanathan Mohan,
Christopher G. Parkin,
Tadej Battelino
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
diabetes technology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.142
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1557-8593
pISSN - 1520-9156
DOI - 10.1089/dia.2020.0375
Subject(s) - telehealth , medicine , digital health , diabetes mellitus , telemedicine , pandemic , health care , emerging technologies , panel discussion , disease , business , covid-19 , economic growth , infectious disease (medical specialty) , computer science , pathology , endocrinology , artificial intelligence , advertising , economics
The increasing prevalence of diabetes, combined with a growing global shortage of health care professionals (HCP), necessitates the need to develop new approaches to diabetes care delivery to expand access to care, lessen the burden on people with diabetes, improve efficiencies, and reduce the unsustainable financial liability on health systems and payers. Use of digital diabetes technologies and telehealth protocols within a digital/virtual diabetes clinic has the potential to address these challenges. However, several issues must be resolved to move forward. In February 2020, organizers of the Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes Annual Conference convened an international panel of HCP, researchers, patient advocates, and industry representatives to review the status of digital diabetes technologies, characterize deficits in current technologies, and identify issues for consideration. Since that meeting, the importance of using telehealth and digital diabetes technologies has been demonstrated amid the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This article summarizes the panel's discussion of the opportunities, obstacles, and requisites for advancing the use of these technologies as a standard of care for the management of diabetes.