The viability of telemedicine for type 1 diabetes

Introduction Our aim was to gauge the interest of potential stakeholders in a Telemedicine service that assists in managing Type 1 Diabetes(T1DM). Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted on a sample of 88 T1DM patients and 9 endocrinologists recruited in the Diabetes Clinic, UHG. Microsoft Excel was used to analyse results, tests included Pearson's chi-square. Level of significance: p<0.05. Results Awareness of Telemedicine differed amongst stakeholders with only 21%(18) of patients aware compared to 100%(9) of doctors. Seventy-seven percent(68) of patients experienced barriers in accessing healthcare. Seventy-two percent(63) of patients and 67%(6) of doctors felt comfortable with video consultations. The patient’s home was determined as the most mutually preferred site of Telemedicine consultation with 83%(73) of patients and 89%(8) doctors in favour. Asked how beneficial Telemedicine would be for managing their condition, 58%(50) of patients stated Yes, 10%(9) stated No and 32%(28) were Unsure. Conclusions This study finds that a Telemedicine model would not only be feasible for this population but could lessen the barriers many patients experience. A sizable cohort of the population are unsure/would not find Telemedicine beneficial to managing their condition. We recommend Telemedicine as an optional service alongside annual face-to-face visits.