Smartphone App to Deliver Virtual Follow-up Care for Children with Type 1 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experience in a Resource-Limited Setup

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has forced the medical fraternity to quickly adopt telemedicine for patient care. However, the feasibility and utility of smartphone app-based telecare for children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in resource-limited settings is scarcely reported. A web-based survey, developed with "Google forms", was sent to parents via the smartphone app WhatsApp, and the responses to the 12 coded questionnaire items were analyzed. The multiple-choice questions were related to the experiences, satisfaction, and expectations regarding the follow-up care delivered to children with T1D between April and November 2020. A total of 578 queries were resolved through WhatsApp during the study period. These were mostly related to reviewing reports, insulin titration, or other minor ailments. From 332 participants in the two WhatsApp groups, 183 responses (55.1%) were collected. The majority of respondents found the WhatsApp telecare model as easy to learn (69.4), simple to use (68.3%) and were overall satisfied (64.5%). None of the families reported that they would recommend against the use of telecare through WhatsApp. Most of them (45.9%) felt that this model could be used in addition to their physical follow-up visits. However, only 15.3% felt that this model could replace all clinic visits in the future. Only 12% of the respondents reported technical difficulties. In conclusion, virtual follow-up care delivered through WhatsApp is feasible and acceptable to families of children with T1D. The minor challenges related to internet access and low literacy levels were easily overcome. WhatsApp-based virtual visits may complement physical visits to the clinic, especially for patients from remote areas.

Covid-19 and Type 1 Diabetes: A Scientometric Assessment of Global Publications based on the Scopus Database

“…4 The effects of delayed presentations leading to severe diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), adoption of telecare for follow-up, and poor metabolic control predisposing to severe illness are well studied in Covid-19-affected patients with T1D. [5][6][7] In addition, the pathophysiological mechanisms linked to adverse clinical outcomes in Covid-19 affected T1D patients are just beginning to get elucidated. 8 However, several facets of Covid-related T1D are still not well understood.…”

Covid-19 and Thyroid: A Scopus-based Bibliometric Assessment of Research Output

“…1,2 The pandemic forced the medical fraternity to quickly formulate guidelines for patients with underlying medical conditions and adopt new methods of healthcare delivery. [3][4][5] The main reason for morbidity and mortality in Covid-19 is its severely damaging effects on the patients' respiratory system. However, the disease is now known to cause considerable damage to other vital organs and the endocrine system.…”