Reducing the Cost of Diabetes Care with Telemedicine, Smartphone, and Home Monitoring

Abstract

The effect of an increasing diabetes population has resulted in escalated costs and overburdened physicians. The increase in cost is not due to the disease per se, but because of its largely preventable complications. Patient-friendly technologies are proven to significantly reduce complications and thereby cost, but seldom practised. Telemedicine is increasingly being utilized in diabetology to improve access to health care, quality of care, and clinical/psychosocial outcomes in patients with diabetes (PWD). In PWD, patient–physician interactions are essential for improving health outcomes and preventing long-term complications. Smartphones are one of the basic modalities for telemedicine application. Mobile phone messaging applications, including text messaging and multimedia message service, could offer a convenient and cost-effective way to support desirable health behaviors. There are diabetes-related mobile apps mainly focusing on self-management of diabetes, lifestyle modification, and medication adherence motivation. With the widespread availability of high-speed Internet, remote monitoring has also become popular. Home monitoring of blood glucose and blood pressure, wearable devices, and continuous glucose monitoring also play a vital role in bringing down the long‑term vascular complications of diabetes and thereby reduce the overall cost and improve the quality of life of patients. There are hundreds of tech platforms for diabetes management, of which only a few with proven efficacy and safety are recommended by physicians.

Exploring the viability of newer technologies in care and management of tribal diabetes and metabolic syndrome in India

“…Telemedicine bridges geographic barriers and provides expert care and advice. 34 Clinical decision support systems analyse patient data to optimize treatment. Mobile apps enable self-monitoring and lifestyle changes.…”

Two Cases With Type 1 Diabetes Treated With Insulin Pump Therapy Using a Telemedicine Approach During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…the telemedicine approach is reported to improve motivations for glycemic control in subjects with diabetes in remote areas from hospitals [9,20].…”

“…Moreover, recent advances in video-meeting tools enable interactive conversations via the Internet between healthcare providers and subjects in outpatient settings. Otherwise, although there are some reports about the usefulness of telemedicine in T1D subjects from the viewpoint of improved medical expenses and treatment motivation [9] or glucose profiles [10] from abroad, only a few reports show the usefulness of telemedicine for the subjects with diabetes in Japan, such as a report about type 2 diabetes [11] and there is no previous report using these telemedicine systems for CSII introduction as far as we know.…”

Telemedicine interventions in type 2 diabetes management: a protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

“…This strategy can enhance individual outcomes, boost happiness and lower healthcare expenses for controlling T2DM. 20 Telemedicine is proposed as an innovative solution to enhance diabetic patient care, offering services such as disease prevention information, medical condition monitoring and regular diabetes management. 21 It enables accurate data communication between patients and healthcare providers, empowering patients towards healthier lifestyles and better glycaemic control.…”

“…The main elements during telemedicine in diabetic individuals primarily focus on close blood sugar monitoring through frequent virtual follow-up, titration of insulin doses, managing hypoglycaemia episodes, reviewing recent laboratory results, ordering medication refills and suggesting treatment plan modifications when needed. This strategy can enhance individual outcomes, boost happiness and lower healthcare expenses for controlling T2DM 20. Telemedicine is proposed as an innovative solution to enhance diabetic patient care, offering services such as disease prevention information, medical condition monitoring and regular diabetes management 21.…”