Psychology, technology, and diabetes management.

Abstract

Use of technology in diabetes management is rapidly advancing and has the potential to help individuals with diabetes achieve optimal glycemic control. Over the past 40 years, several devices have been developed and refined, including the blood glucose meter, insulin pump, and continuous glucose monitor. When used in tandem, the insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor have prompted the Artificial Pancreas initiative, aimed at developing control system for fully automating glucose monitoring and insulin delivery. In addition to devices, modern technology, such as the Internet and mobile phone applications, have been used to promote patient education, support, and intervention to address the behavioral and emotional challenges of diabetes management. These state-of-the-art technologies not only have the potential to improve clinical outcomes, but there are possible psychological benefits, such as improved quality of life, as well. However, practical and psychosocial limitations related to advanced technology exist and, in the context of several technology-related theoretical frameworks, can influence patient adoption and continued use. It is essential for future diabetes technology research to address these barriers given that the clinical benefits appear to largely depend on patient engagement and consistence of technology use. (PsycINFO Database Record

Evidence-based behavioral interventions to promote diabetes management in children, adolescents, and families.

“…To enhance translation from research to practice, important roles for psychologists will be to adopt and advocate a public health perspective, to investigate how to adapt efficacious interventions for implementation in routine pediatric diabetes care, and to develop strategies to train mental health providers who are not diabetes specialists and lay, nonmedical interventionists (e.g., peer coaches) to competently treat people with diabetes and deliver evidence-based interventions outside of the medical care setting (Datye et al, 2015; Streisand, Herbert, Owen, & Monaghan, 2012). Broader access to effective behavior change promotion interventions and support may help facilitate the uptake and sustained use of modern diabetes management technologies (Gonder-Frederick, Shepard, Grahman, & Ritterband, 2016). …”

Perceived Benefits and Barriers Regarding CSII Treatment: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Insulin Pump Attitudes Questionnaire (IPA-Questionnaire)

“…Psychological aspects associated with insulin-pump use might also contribute to this phenomenon of a surprising low efficacy of CSII-therapy [6,7]. Gonder Frederik suggests that the perception of barriers against insulin pump therapy might be partially responsible for these clinical phenomena, e. g., potential negative impact on body image or feelings of overdependency on technology [8].…”

Diabetes Alert Dogs (DADs): An assessment of accuracy and implications

“…In developed countries, almost all individuals with type 1 diabetes who have sufficient resources/insurance use a BG meter, while others use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, or both technologies to monitor daily glucose levels. 1 Although invaluable to diabetes self-treatment, both of these devices are invasive, requiring either a finger stick or sensor insertion, and both pose other burdens to the user such as carrying equipment, associated expenses, and calibration. An adjunctive method for BG monitoring is the Diabetes Alert Dog (DAD), which is trained to detect extreme glucose levels, presumably based on olfactory cues the body emits during hypo- and hyperglycemia.…”