Covid-19 still challenges various sectors of health care delivery, especially in-person visits. The lockdown that abruptly limited in-person visits ushered health care professionals to introduce or shift to advanced health care delivery methods such as telemedicine.

      A study that collated metrics, site-level survey results, and examples of interventions conducted to support telemedicine in patients with type 1 diabetes and published in ‘Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics’ revealed that there is a significant increase in the rise of telemedicine use during the Covid-19 pandemic. The proportion of telemedicine visits in Type 1 diabetes (T1D) Exchange Quality Improvement CollaborativeT1DX-QI before the pandemic was < %, rising to an average of 95.2% in April 2020 (range 52.3%–99.5%). Many sites that initially used telephone visits converted to video visits. It was also observed that 62% of the clinics are practicing both video and telephone visits. Zoom was identified as the most popular video platform used. Over 95% of clinics reported using CareLink™, Clarity®, Glooko™, and/or t:connect® to view device data. The majority of centers had multidisciplinary teams comprised of physicians, diabetes educators, registered dietitians, and social workers participating in the video visits to ensure quality diabetes care delivery. The majority of centers were able to adapt and provide continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) (100%) and insulin pump training (70%) during the pandemic.

      The study described the rapid adoption of telemedicine visits for clinics providing medical care to T1D patients during the pandemic. Further research is required to understand the factors and patient preferences that influence the conception and sustainability of the telemedicine model of diabetes care.

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