Patients with diabetes have distinct risks during precolonoscopy bowel preparation, caused by change of diet, change of antihyperglycemic medication regimens and diabetes-related complications and comorbidities. These risks include hypoglycemia, water and electrolyte imbalance, acute renal failure, lactic acidosis, ketoacidosis and low quality of bowel preparation. Here we review the existing literature and present recommendations from a subcommittee of the Israeli National Diabetes Council for primary care physicians and gastroenterologists. The instructions include general suggestions on diet and glucose monitoring and specific recommendations on timing of modification or cessation of each of the antihyperglycemic medication types to ensure patient safety during bowel preparation.

The study examined the role of diabetes nurse practitioners (DiNPs) and their contribution to the quality of care of individuals with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we examined the benefits and barriers of using telemedicine for managing diabetes. Design:A descriptive qualitative research using content analysis of interviews.Methods: Participants were invited through the National DiNPs' Forum. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 licensed DiNPs (age range, 37-58 years) who were involved in the clinical care of individuals with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and content analysis was then used for extracting themes and their related categories. Findings: Content analysis revealed five themes: (a) Benefits and barriers of remote diabetes treatment; (b) Teamwork and its implications to DiNPs; (c) Technological challenges, resourcefulness, and creativity; (d) Changed perception of DiNP roles;and (e) Cultural diversity and improving communication skills. The benefits of telemedicine included improved control, efficiency, convenience and satisfaction, while the disadvantages of this method included the inability to provide optimal practical guidance on technical aspects of physical assessments and care. Sectors with limited digital literacy and language barriers had difficulties using telemedicine. Teamwork was reported as a facilitator to managing treatment. Telemedicine provided an opportunity for DiNPs to become more efficient and focused and to clearly define their role in the organization. Conclusions:The COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges. Along with the need to adapt the therapeutic approach to remote care, DiNPs improved their professional status, acquired new skills, and were satisfied with their personal and professional growth.Clinical relevance: Telemedicine should become an integral part of diabetes management to enable access to populations who cannot come to the clinic. Patients should be guided on using telemedicine platforms.

Introduction: A high level of medical knowledge of Advanced Practice Providers is extremely important to secure their role in the contemporary healthcare environment. Continuing Medical Education is the key element in improving their skills and level of competency. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that a mobile and desktop VPS application that provides a self-propelled simulation of disease progression and the effects of treatments, would allow precise assessment of providers’ medical knowledge. Methods: We used the Edocate® virtual patient simulation (VPS) platform to compare the level of competency in treating patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems in two groups of nurse practitioners: diabetes-trained (DNP) and family medicine-trained (FNP). All participants completed the same VPS case before being asked to address a second case with similar problems, thus enabling us to assess improvement in their knowledge as well. For each case, the NPs received personalized and detailed feedback on their actions. Results: DNP were significantly more likely to achieve good glycemic control (78.6% vs. 46.8% in the FNP cohort), control of hyperlipidemia (57.1% vs. 40.0%), control of blood pressure (78.5% vs. 46.6%), and were more likely to use SGLT2i or GLP1 RA in patients with cardiovascular problems (78.4% vs. 66.7%). Both groups improved their performance markedly while working with their second patient, reaching levels of competency in key clinical areas between 83 and 100% in both groups. Conclusion: Working with the VPS, DNP demonstrated a higher level of medical knowledge in diabetes and cardiovascular disease management than FNP. However, training with the VPS platform significantly improved the levels of competency in both groups supporting the notion that virtual simulation provides excellent tools for enhancing providers’ knowledge, critical for their real practice skills. Disclosure I.Iancu: None. R.Shental: None. L.Zehavi: None. B.Draznin: None.