Diabetes Research and Resource Sharing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Experience from an Academic/Non-Profit Resource Website

Abstract

Background: The magnitude of the response of the diabetes professional community to the COVID-19 pandemic is not known. We aimed to examine diabetes technology research trends and resources offered by professional organizations during this period. Methods: We explored patterns of the response from the professional diabetes community to the pandemic by (1) systematically searching for articles related to diabetes, COVID-19, and diabetes technologies; (2) examining publication trends of research protocols (clinicaltrials.gov) and preprints (medRxiv); and (3) reviewing online resources from professional organizations including our website (COVIDinDiabetes.org; an Emory University—Diabetes Technology Society collaboration). Results: We identified 492 articles published between December 2019 and December 2022 meeting our inclusion criteria. Telemedicine and continuous glucose monitoring were the most common reported technologies from most parts of the world. The largest number of preprint articles was published in 2020, with a decline in 2021 and 2022. The number of research protocols related to COVID-19 was the highest in 2020 and declined in 2021 and 2022. Resources from organizations included protocols adapted to treat patients with diabetes and COVID-19, training programs, emergency preparedness, and literature on diabetes and COVID-19. On our website (COVIDinDiabetes.org), there were 12 236 visits and 18 149 pageviews, with 1.6 actions per visits, with most visits coming from North America (N = 7233, 54.2%), South America (N = 2663, 21.8%), and Europe (N = 1219). Conclusions: We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic promoted unprecedented global research productivity related to diabetes and COVID-19 and that the transition to the use of technology resources has been evident during this period.

A virtual recruitment protocol promotes enrollment of underrepresented groups in a diabetes prevention trial

“…The COVID-19 pandemic led to rapidly expanding uses of technology to conduct diabetes care and research following remote protocols [ 7 ]. This event presented a unique opportunity to assess the extent to which, and for whom, remote protocols may improve outcomes of interest, including enrollments in clinical trials.…”