Diabetes technology: Rapidly evolving, access an issue
The new technology section “doubles down on the time in [normal glucose] range (TIR) concept,” but also emphasizes the importance of time below range.
“When we see that, we need to make a therapeutic change. We were concerned that as there’s more and more information and numbers, users might not pick up on what’s important,” Dr. Gabbay noted.
The new standards also provides greater affirmation of the value of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes at any age, with individualized choice of devices.
Access to technology is a “big issue, and something the ADA has really been fighting for, particularly in terms of health disparities,” Dr. Gabbay said, noting that ADA has a new Health Equity Now platform, which includes a “bill of rights” calling for all patients with diabetes to have access to state-of-the-art technologies, including CGM.
Overall, he said, “I think the big picture is diabetes continues to evolve and advance. After careful review of the literature, the standards of care identifies at least four big areas where there are some changes that clinicians need to know about: screening, how to individualize treatment, considerations of comorbidities, and the important role that technology plays.”
Dr. Gabbay is an employee of the ADA.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.