Individualized diabetes care:Lessons from the real-world experience

Diabetes care is often difficult without a proper collaboration between the patient and the care provider as the disease is mostly self-managed by patients through adjustments in their lifestyles,and medication doses to optimise glycaemic control.Most clinical guidelines on the management of diabetes mellitus(DM)provide only broad principles on diabetes care,and the blind follow-up of such principles without a proper review and consideration of patient characteristics often results in inadequate glycaemic control and diabetes complications consequently.Therefore,a proper understanding of the pathobiology,clinical situation,and comorbidities of the individual case is of paramount importance to tailoring the most appropriate management strategy in real-world diabetes care.With the aid of five unique cases of DM[(1)Medically managed type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)with severe obesity;(2)Management of T2DM with unreliable glycated haemoglobin(HbA1c);(3)Obesity in a patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM);and(4)Late diagnosis and subsequent management of monogenic diabetes and 5.Sudden worsening of well-controlled T2DM)]we elaborate on the importance of individualised diabetes care and the practicalities in these situations.The review also provides an evidence update on the management of different forms of DM to guide physicians in optimising the care of their patients in day-to-day clinical practice.

Role of theories in school-based diabetes care interventions:A critical review

BACKGROUND Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood.School plays an essential role in the management of student diabetes,which reduces the risk of short-and long-term diabetes complications and ensures that students are wellpositioned for optimal academic performance and growth.AIM The aim of this review was to systematically identify and synthesize the literature concerning theory-based diabetes care interventions in K-12 schools in the United States.It critically assessed the specific role of theories and associated essential constructs in intervention design,implementation,outcome measurement,and evaluation.METHODS Relevant literature was identified by keyword searches of the Cochrane Library,PubMed,and Web of Science.RESULTS Four interventions met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review.Of those,two evaluated online diabetes education programs for school personnel and the other two assessed in-person interventions.Three studies adopted a onegroup pre-post study design,and the remaining one adopted a one-shot casestudy design.Three of the interventions adopted social cognitive theory,and the remaining one was guided by the diffusion of innovations theory.Three studies identified core constructs of a theory as predictors of behavioral change.Two used theory to select or develop intervention techniques.Two studies used theory to customize participant intervention techniques.Two studies discussed their findings in the context of theory.No study used theory to select potential intervention participants.CONCLUSION In conclusion,despite the value of theory in intervention design and evaluation,theory-based diabetes interventions at school remain scarce.Future research may seek ways to better integrate theory and empirical research.

Alphabet strategy for diabetes care:A checklist approach in the time of COVID-19 and beyond

Chronic disease management requires achievement of critical individualised targets to mitigate again long-term morbidity and premature mortality associated with diabetes mellitus.The responsibility for this lies with both the patient and health care professionals.Care plans have been introduced in many healthcare settings to provide a patient-centred approach that is both evidence-based to deliver positive clinical outcomes and allow individualised care.The Alphabet strategy(AS) for diabetes is based around such a care plan and has been evidenced to deliver high clinical standards in both well-resourced and underresourced settings.Additional patient educational resources include special care plans for those people with diabetes undertaking fasting during Ramadan,Preconception Care, Prevention and Remission of Diabetes.The Strategy and Care Plan has facilitated evidence-based,cost-efficient multifactorial intervention with an improvement in the National Diabetes Audit targets for blood pressure,cholesterol levels and glycated haemoglobin.Many of these attainments were of the standard seen in intensively treated cohorts of key randomized controlled trials in diabetes care such as the Steno-2 and United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study.This is despite working in a relatively under-resourced service within the United Kingdom National Health Service.The AS for diabetes care is a useful tool to consider for planning care, education of people with diabetes and healthcare professional.During the time of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic the risk factors for the increased mortality observed have to be addressed aggressively.The AS has the potential to help with this aspiration.

Application and prospect of artificial intellingence in diabetes care

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing non-communicable diseases,becoming an important public health concern worldwide as well as in China.Currently,China has the largest population living with diabetes.Artificial intelligence(AI)is a fast-growingfield and its applications to diabetes could enable the delivery of better management services for people with diabetes.This perspective summarized the latestfindings of digital tech-nologies and AI use in the following areas of diabetes care,mainly including screening and risk predictions of diabetes and diabetic complications,precise monitoring and inter-vention combined with new technologies,and mobile health application in self-management support for people with diabetes.Challenges to promote further use of AI in diabetes care included data standardization and integra-tion,performance of AI-based medical devices,motivation of patients,and sensitivity to privacy.In summary,although the AI applications in clinical practice is still at an early stage,we are moving toward a new paradigm for diabetes care with the rapid development and emerging application of AI.

Chronic care model in the diabetes pay-for-performance program in Taiwan:Benefits,challenges and future directions

In this review,we discuss the chronic care model(CCM)in relation to the diabetes pay-for-performance(P4P)program in Taiwan.We first introduce the 6 components of the CCM and provide a detailed description of each of the activities in the P4P program implemented in Taiwan,mapping them onto the 6 components of the CCM.For each CCM component,the following three topics are described:the definition of the CCM component,the general activities implemented related to this component,and practical and empirical practices based on hospital or local government cases.We then conclude by describing the possible successful features of this P4P program and its challenges and future directions.We conclude that the successful characteristics of this P4P program in Taiwan include its focus on extrinsic and intrinsic incentives(i.e.,shared care network),physician-led P4P and the implementation of activities based on the CCM components.However,due to the low rate of P4P program coverage,approximately 50%of patients with diabetes cannot enjoy the benefits of CCMrelated activities or receive necessary examinations.In addition,most of these CCM-related activities are not allotted an adequate amount of incentives,and these activities are mainly implemented in hospitals,which compared with primary care providers,are unable to execute these activities flexibly.All of these issues,as well as insufficient implementation of the e-CCM model,could hinder the advanced improvement of diabetes care in Taiwan.

Diabetes self-management education:Benefits and challenges

Diabetes mellitus has spread throughout many nations of the world and is now a serious threat.A lack of patient self‑management has been linked to this drain on global health.The consequences of diabetic patients’poor self‑management have increased a variety of complications and lengthened hospital stays.Poor information and skill acquisition have been linked to poor self‑management.Participating in a co‑operative approach known as diabetes self‑management education will help diabetes patients who want to successfully self‑manage their condition and any associated conditions.Information is one of the most important components of a diabetes management strategy.In conclusion,numerous studies have shown that patients with diabetes have poor self‑management skills and knowledge in all areas,making training in diabetes self‑management necessary to minimize the complications that may result from diabetes mellitus among the patients.This review discussed the severity of diabetes mellitus,diabetes self‑management,and the benefits and challenges of diabetes self‑management,which may aid individuals in understanding the significance of diabetes self‑management and how it relates to diabetes self‑care.

Effects of Lifestyle Intervention Performed by Community Pharmacists on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: The Community Pharmacists Assist (Compass) Project, a Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Trial

Background: Community pharmacists should be involved in diabetes care, while there has been less evidence about whether a brief lifestyle intervention is effective for diabetes care in community pharmacies. Objectives: To examine the effects of brief lifestyle intervention on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) by using a coaching style, provided by community pharmacists. Methods: A prospective, cluster-randomized, controlled trial was conducted in 50 groups of community pharmacies in Japan. In all, 132 patients with T2D (age, 20 - 75 years, ≥8.0% of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)) were assigned to the intervention group (n = 90) or the usual care group (n = 42). The intervention group (IG) underwent brief lifestyle coaching for self-care of T2D for 6 months. The standard care group (CG) received usual care by pharmacists and was given a general newsletter. The primary outcome was changes in HbA1c levels. Results: After 6 months, the IG had significantly improved HbA1c (IG: -0.6 ± 0.9 vs. CG: -0.2% ± 0.9%;p = 0.021 using the last observation carried forward analysis). Although the number of drugs reduced from 2.3 ± 0.8 to 2.0 ± 1.2 in the IG, the number increased from 2.3 ± 1.1 to 2.5 ± 1.1 in the CG (-0.2 ± 0.9 in IG vs. 0.2 ± 0.6 in CG;p = 0.023). Conclusions: The brief lifestyle intervention by community pharmacists improved glycemic control in patients with T2D. Community pharmacists may more positively participate as lifestyle coaches for diabetes care.

Glucose control in critical care

Glycemic control among critically-ill patients has been a topic of considerable attention for the past 15 years. An initial focus on the potentially deleterious effects of hyperglycemia led to a series of investigations regarding intensive insulin therapy strategies that targeted tight glycemic control. As knowledge accumulated, the pursuit of tight glycemic control among critically-ill patients came to be seen as counterproductive, and moderate glycemic control came to dominate as the standard practice in intensive care units. In recent years, there has been increased focus on the importance of hypoglycemic episodes, glycemic variability, and premorbid diabetic status as factors that contribute to outcomes among critically-ill patients. This review provides a survey of key studies on glucose control in critical care, and aims to deliver perspective regarding glycemic management among critically-ill patients.

Effect of Internet technology on extended care in elderly patients with diabetic feet

Objective： To evaluate the effect of Internet technology on continuing nursing in elderly patients with diabetic feet, Method： From January 2015 to July 2016,12 elderly patients with diabetic foot ulcers were enrolled from the Endocrinology Department in our hospital. We used ＂WeChat＂, ＂E nursing＂ and other Internet technologies to perform remote extended care and to observe the foot ulcer outcomes. Results： All foot ulcers healed with a wound healing time between 38 and 73 days （average 57.08 ~ 12.69 days）. Patients did not need to travel long distances to seek medical treatment for foot ulcers, improving their satisfaction. Conclusions： The implementation of extended care for elderly patients with diabetic foot ulcers was based on the application of Internet technology. It is helpful to facilitate medical treatment, share high quality health resources and promote disease rehabilitation.