| Abstract: |
This article offers a critical review of the changes in technology in the field of diabetes care and management, including those in glucose measurement, insulin administration, and types of insulin. The author describes the technology and equipment but focuses more on issues of patient compliance and quality of life. The author stresses that diabetes is still all-encompassing, needing attention multiple times a day, whether it’s checking blood glucose levels, calculating each meal and snack, or remaining vigilant to symptoms of hypoglycemia. Technological advances have not eased this burden of managing diabetes. Other topics addressed include parent-child relations, the members of the patient care team, attempts to match insulin dosage to food intake, the need for mathematical skills on the part of patients or parents, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), point-of-care glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) tests, analog insulins, insulin pumps, patient selection for new technologies, and the use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). 5 figures. 35 references. |