The Artificial Pancreas: What School Nurses Need to Know

Abstract

The hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system, a form of "artificial pancreas," is composed of an insulin pump, a standardized algorithm, and a continuous glucose monitor. The system streamlines insulin delivery by connecting continuous glucose monitor data with an insulin pump and an algorithm to drive basal insulin delivery. The hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016 for children older than 7 years, is a major improvement in the management of type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this article is to educate school nurses about the components of the hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system, the relevance to care, and the future direction of blood glucose management.

A School Nurse Application of the ECHO Model

“…As illustrated in Table 1, these principles can be applied to intensive management of T1D in the school setting, and expertise in these skill sets will assist the school nurse in coordinating the complex health needs of students with T1D at school. School nurses are well positioned to provide intensive management but only if knowledgeable about current treatment methods (Bratina & Battelino, 2010; Holmström, Häggström, & Söderberg, 2018; Latham, 2019), age-appropriate care (Jackson & Albanese-O’Neill, 2016; Kelo, Martikainen, & Eriksson, 2011; Peery, Engelke, & Swanson, 2012), effects of social determinants of health (e.g., health literacy, access to care, health insurance; Schroeder, Malone, McCabe, & Lipman, 2018), and coordination of care (Engelke, Swanson, Guttu, Warren, & Lovern, 2011; McClanahan & Weismuller, 2015).…”