P243 Digital diabetes care: How well equipped are patients and what do they think about it

Published Date: 23rd March 2022

Publication Authors: Westall S, Mitchell L, Cardwell J, Furlong NJ, Narayanan RP, Bujawansa S, Balafshan T, Hardy KJ, McNulty S

Aims
Covid-19 precipitated an abrupt shift to non-face-to-face (digital) consultation. Some believe that this was overdue and that digital is better for many patients. Our aim was to establish the extent to which people with diabetes were equipped to manage digital consultation and what they felt about it.

Methods
We surveyed 1,000 people with diabetes (500 type 1, 500 type 2) from our local, largely deprived community with a user-approved questionnaire, tested for face validity and readability.

Results
Response rate was 376/1000 (38%); 132 (35%) type 1 diabetes, 218 (58%) type 2 diabetes, 1% other and 6% blank. Age of respondents was: ≤30, 0%; 31–40, 4%; 41–50, 7%; 51–60, 12%; 61–70, 17%; 71–80, 52%; 81–90, 3%; and blank, 5%. Treatment was: diet alone, 11%; diet and tablets, 39%; diet and insulin injections, 24%; diet, tablets and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, 2%; insulin pump, 9%; and blank, 6%. Some 22% were attending the hospital clinic; 74% not and 4% blank. Only 40% patients had access to a video calling device and only 35% had ever used it. Separate Likert scales showed: 79% strongly preferred or preferred face-to-face consultation, 17% strongly preferred or preferred telephone; and only 6% strongly preferred or preferred video consultation; 66% recognised limitations in examination, weight and blood pressure checks with digital.

Summary
Our survey, representative of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and of all treatment modalities but with underrepresentation of very young respondents, reveals that most patients did not have equipment for digital consultation and 79% preferred face-to-face consultation.

 

Westall, SJ; Mitchell, L; Cardwell, J; McNulty, S; Furlong, N; Narayanan, RP; Bujawansa, S; Balafsham, T; Hardy, KJ. (2022). P243 Digital diabetes care: How well equipped are patients and what do they think about it. Diabetic Medicine. 39 (Suppl 1), 127

 

 

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