INSULIN INSIGHTS

Highlights from the ADCES Technology Conference

The Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) held its first annual Technology Conference for healthcare professionals on December 10th and 11th, 2021. The conference was held in Chicago, IL and offered a total of 8.5 hours of continuing education hours plus various industry programs were offered including hands-on learning from Medtronic Diabetes. 

Jen Block, FNP, NP-C, MSN, BSRN, CDCES from Medical Affairs and Research at Apple Inc., spoke about the updated Apple Health smartphone application (app). A new diabetes management feature called Glucose Trends and Highlights has been added starting with iOS 15. The Apple Health app will accept glucose data from a connected continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or blood glucose (BG) monitor; the InPen^TM app can also link to the Apple Health app and share CGM data. In a randomized controlled trial at Ochsner Health System (n=1,400), researchers compared a diabetes digital health program to their usual diabetes care. Following patient consent, glucose data was uploaded automatically into the electronic health record from the digital health group. Researchers observed a 57% reduction in subjects who measured A1C > 9% in the digital health group after 1 year compared to no significant change in the usual care group. This report highlights the clinical value of having connected data from patient to healthcare provider (HCP).  

Dr. Richard Bergenstal from the International Diabetes Center (Minneapolis, MN) talked about the value of both retrospective and real-time CGM data analysis. Patients can use real-time glucose data to help make immediate decisions on their behaviors. Additionally, there needs to be a retrospective data review to identify patterns that help direct treatment adjustments. The value of retrospective glucose analysis by the patients themselves has been shown,¹ however very few patients do it.² Dr. Bergenstal used a “Stop, Look, Listen” model for reviewing data with patients. This model is consistent with the shared decision-making model in that it promotes having a two-way conversation between HCPs and their patients to help patients understand the value of technology to help manage their diabetes.

Drs. Oser (husband and wife) spoke about the American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP) free online continuing education offering about CGM that is included in the Transformation in Practice Series (TIPS). You can find out more here: https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/practice-and-career/managing-your-practice/aafp-tips.html

To learn more about any of the Medtronic Diabetes portfolio of products, contact your local Medtronic representatives or visit our healthcare professional website: https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/therapies-procedures/diabetes.html

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