Diabetes is a disease with no cure and requires continuous monitoring. People with diabetes are required to check their glucose levels, administer insulin, and assess their symptoms on a daily basis. The Pittsburg Post Gazette reports on how Telehealth has enhanced care for people with diabetes.
Patients are also required to visit their doctors on a regular basis. With Covid-19 diabetics are at high risk for contracting the virus. Remote patient monitoring has eliminated the risk for these patients when it comes to doctor visits, by minimizing the chance for disease transmission. It has also helped patients and physicians realize Telehealth can be used after the pandemic to make diabetic treatment easier.
With remote patient monitoring, people with diabetes have been able to eliminate the need for daily finger pricks to check their glucose. They can attach a device to their bodies and have their glucose levels sent to their mobile devices. There are also caregiver apps where the physicians can check the patients levels on their devices as well as view patterns over a longer period of time. Remote patient monitoring also makes it possible for physicians to alert parents or at home caregivers of the elderly if they see any issue that needs to be addressed immediately or require action from the patient.
Telehealth services for diabetes patients have also lowered the costs for disease care, by eliminating the consistent need for finger pricking services for type 1 diabetics and type 2 diabetics have saved money on intensive insulin therapy.
For more information on how Telehealth has enhanced diabetes treatment, follow the link: https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2020/11/02/Mahmood-Kazemi-A-remote-revolution-in-diabetes-care/stories/202010310022