Effectiveness of diabetes education including insulin injection technique and dose adjustment through telemedicine in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Aims: To study the feasibility of diabetes education through telemedicine in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) hospitalized for COVID-19 management. Methods: This was a prospective study of 100 patients with DM who were admitted in a COVID isolation ward for management of COVID-19. Patients managed with multiple subcutaneous insulin injections were eligible. During teleconsultation, diabetes education including insulin injection technique was given by a diabetes educator via a phone call (audio and video) during hospitalization. They were also re-assessed after 2 weeks of discharge from the hospital via teleconsultation or in-person. Results: Out of 100 patients, 72.0% had prior history of diabetes while 28.0% were newly diagnosed. The median age of our cohort was 56 years and median duration of diabetes was 7.0 years. Telemedicine as a mode of consult for diabetes education was accepted by 96.0% of patients during hospitalisation. At 2 weeks’ follow-up, 77.0% patients were following insulin instructions correctly and were satisfied with this mode of consultation. Conclusion: Diabetes education using telemedicine as a technology is feasible, acceptable, and effective in the management of most patients with DM. Telemedicine appears to be an effective way to replace routine visits in special situations.

Implementation of diabetes care and educational program via telemedicine in patients with COVID‐19 in home isolation in Thailand: A real‐worldexperience

“…The study included 21 patients with diabetes but did not describe care specific to diabetes 5 . However, a few studies demonstrated the benefits of telemedicine in delivering care in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 21 , 37 . A prospective study of 100 hospitalized patients with diabetes and COVID‐19 utilized teleconsultation (phone and video) to deliver diabetes education including insulin injection techniques in India 21 .…”

“…However, a few studies demonstrated the benefits of telemedicine in delivering care in patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 21 , 37 . A prospective study of 100 hospitalized patients with diabetes and COVID‐19 utilized teleconsultation (phone and video) to deliver diabetes education including insulin injection techniques in India 21 . The results showed that teleconsultation was feasible and acceptable, and a 2 week follow up revealed that 77% of the patients correctly followed insulin instruction 21 .…”

“…A prospective study of 100 hospitalized patients with diabetes and COVID-19 utilized teleconsultation (phone and video) to deliver diabetes education including insulin injection techniques in India 21 . The results showed that teleconsultation was feasible and acceptable, and a 2 week follow up revealed that 77% of the patients correctly followed insulin instruction 21 . Lian et al 37 explored the use of telehealth in 84 hospitalized patients and 22 outpatients with COVID-19.…”

“…A study compared the use of telemedicine vs. in-person outpatient care on diabetes quality measures during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic found that the likelihood of meeting the care goal was 25% higher in telemedicine compared with in-person care 20 . Another study focusing on patients hospitalized with COVID-19 demonstrated that the use of teleconsultation (telephone and video calls) was effective in teaching insulin injection techniques and dose adjustment with a high rate of acceptability among patients 21 . Longo et al 22 described worsening glycemic control in home-isolated adults with type 1 diabetes and COVID-19 using continuous glucose monitoring compared with age-matched diabetic patients without the infection.…”

Telemedicine and diabetes during the COVID-19 era

“…Overall, 83.3% of healthcare providers reported being satisfied with the use of TM [ 34 ]. In addition, TM appears to be a mode of consultation for diabetes education of patients during hospitalization with great satisfaction from patients and healthcare providers [ 35 ]. Diabetes education using TM is feasible, acceptable, and effective in the management of most hospitalized patients with diabetes, a need of great importance during the COVID-19 era.…”