Digital technologies in the care of people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Abstract

Objective: To map evidence on the use of digital technologies in the care of people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This is a scoping review, based on the JBI manual, which included scientific articles and gray literature from nine primary and seven secondary databases. Articles were independently assessed by two reviewers. Rayyan® was used to select the studies. The description of study characterization is presented in a table and tables, ending in a narrative synthesis. Results: A total of 1,964 studies were identified and, after selection, 23 publications remained for analysis. It turned out that telemedicine was used in all studies and remote consultation support technologies included continuous glucose monitoring devices, glucose data analysis software, insulin delivery systems, applications, audio and/or voice communication devices, which facilitated remote diabetes mellitus monitoring and management. Conclusion: Telehealth, monitoring technologies, insulin delivery systems and communication devices were tools used to monitor patients with diabetes during the pandemic.

Patient Satisfaction of Telemedicine in Pediatric and Young Adult Type 1 Diabetes Patients During Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Digital transformation was already underway, especially in the field of diabetes, but this global emergency has accelerated this phenomenon. A large number of patients were unable or unwilling to participate in routine follow-up visits in person and strict infection prevention protocols were established; therefore, many diabetes centers have begun to rely more on virtual health care ( 3 ). Diabetes more than other areas is able to pioneer technological advances in medicine thanks to the use of many tools such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) connected to online platforms for sharing data; therefore, patients are always able to share glucose data with healthcare professionals and eventually modify insulin treatment if required ( 4 ).…”

Feasibility of an Activity Control System in Patients with Diabetes: A Study Protocol of a Randomised Controlled Trial

“…There is ample evidence of the use of various methods of new technologies in this field, such as the analysis of general questionnaires 6 , 7 or in particular domains, such as early diagnosis, 8 as detailed in a recent review on the application of new technologies in the management and support in decision-making of patients with diabetes. 9 Decision support systems (DSSs) consist of tools focused on helping patients and/or healthcare professionals manage different therapies for diabetes. These systems usually have monitoring tools that facilitate the systematic recording of information on diet, physical activity, medications, glucose measurements, and other factors, and combine them with others to support both patients and healthcare providers, with the general objective of improving therapeutic results.…”

“… 10 , 11 Similar studies have been carried out, in which individualized programs of patient empowerment and adherence to therapy have been designed through the automatic generation of feedback messages, without obtaining a record of whether the patient carried out these tasks on the same day. 9 , 12 , 13 …”