INSULIN INSIGHTS

Delivery of efficient and effective training for patients learning diabetes technology

Learning a new skill takes time and training patients on how to use diabetes technology can be challenging. Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (CDCES) are clinical experts who have the knowledge and experience to help educate people living with diabetes. Patients can be referred to a CDCES for diabetes technology training, education, and ongoing support. Unfortunately, not all patients have access to a CDCES for a multitude of reasons. Medtronic employs skilled diabetes educators who are specifically available to provide patient training and support on our therapies.

Historically, all patient trainings have taken place in-person. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, remote training platforms have been utilized more than ever. Remote training specifically has been shown to be highly effective^1-3 as it can offer many benefits and help fill the gaps where training needs are unmet.

Madison Smith, PhD, RN, CDCES and colleagues completed research comparing the effectiveness of 3 types of training support for the InPen^TM smart* insulin pen.^2,3 After 4 weeks of InPen use, the device and feature utilization was significantly greater (p<0.05) in the groups that had virtual support for basic device set-up (n=991) and virtual onboarding support (n=267) compared to no support/could not be reached (n=4,903).² Similarly, for those who had ≥ 30 days distinct InPen and CGM data it was shown that glycemic outcomes (Coefficient of Variation (CV), Glucose Management Indicator (GMI), Time in Range (TIR), Time Below Range (TBR), Time Above Range (TAR)) were more favorable in the groups who received virtual support (Table 1).³

Findings by Smith et al^2-3 and Vigersky et al¹ support the service of virtual diabetes technology training. There will undoubtedly be more research on this subject, but most would likely agree it would be beneficial for patients to participate in education programs that are available to help them achieve their glycemic goals. If virtual training can be provided from a CDCES, there are resources available to assist with questions related to insurance reimbursement for this service.^4-5 For more information on virtual product training, contact your local Medtronic Diabetes representative or call 800-646-4633.

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