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Utunen H, Balaciano G, Arabi E, Tokar A, Bhatiasevi A, Noyes J. Learning interventions and training methods in health emergencies: A scoping review. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290208. [PMID: 39012917 PMCID: PMC11251632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Keeping the health workforce and the public informed about the latest evolving health information during a health emergency is critical to preventing, detecting and responding to infectious disease outbreaks or other health emergencies. Having a well-informed, ready, willing, and skilled workforce and an informed public can help save lives, reduce diseases and suffering, and minimize socio-economic loss in affected communities and countries. Providing "just in time" support and opportunities for learning in health emergencies is much needed for capacity building. In this paper, 'learning intervention' refers to the provision of ad-hoc, focused, or personalized training sessions with the goal of preparing the health workers for emergencies or filling specific knowledge or skill gaps. We refer to 'training methods' as instructional design strategies used to teach someone the necessary knowledge and skills to perform a task. METHODS We conducted a scoping review to map and better understand what learning interventions and training methods have been used in different types of health emergencies and by whom. Studies were identified using six databases (Pubmed/Medline, Embase, Hinari, WorldCat, CABI and Web of Science) and by consulting with experts. Characteristics of studies were mapped and displayed and major topic areas were identified. RESULTS Of the 319 records that were included, contexts most frequently covered were COVID-19, disasters in general, Ebola and wars. Four prominent topic areas were identified: 1) Knowledge acquisition, 2) Emergency plans, 3) Impact of the learning intervention, and 4) Training methods. Much of the evidence was based on observational methods with few trials, which likely reflects the unique context of each health emergency. Evolution of methods was apparent, particularly in virtual learning. Learning during health emergencies appeared to improve knowledge, general management of the situation, quality of life of both trainers and affected population, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION This is the first scoping review to map the evidence, which serves as a first step in developing urgently needed global guidance to further improve the quality and reach of learning interventions and training methods in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heini Utunen
- Health Emergencies Programme, Learning and Capacity Development Unit, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Giselle Balaciano
- Health Emergencies Programme, Learning and Capacity Development Unit, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Elham Arabi
- Health Emergencies Programme, Learning and Capacity Development Unit, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Anna Tokar
- Health Emergencies Programme, Learning and Capacity Development Unit, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Aphaluck Bhatiasevi
- Health Emergencies Programme, Learning and Capacity Development Unit, World Health Organization, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Jane Noyes
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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Pavloff M, Labrecque ME, Bally J, Kirychuk S, Lasiuk G. Rural Home Care Nursing During COVID-19. Can J Nurs Res 2023; 55:486-493. [PMID: 36850059 PMCID: PMC9974377 DOI: 10.1177/08445621231160478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be a challenging time for the nursing profession globally. Research indicates that the care of patients with COVID-19 has caused significant psychological stress for nurses. Although much of the world's attention has been on nurses working in emergency departments and intensive care units, the pandemic also posed significant challenges for nurses providing home care services in rural communities. PURPOSE The purpose of this work was to describe the experiences of rural Canadian home care nurses during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS The data for this analysis was derived from a study that explored the continuing education needs of rural home care nurses. Since the data collection for the primary objective occurred in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 related themes were created using interpretive description methodology. Snowball and purposive sampling were used to recruit rural home care registered nurses who were employed in the central and southern areas of a western Canadian province. RESULTS Six themes were constructed from the data including: Nurses Must Work, Constant State of Flux, Threatened Safety, Loss of Learning Opportunities, Fearing the Unknown, and Hindsight is Easy. CONCLUSION The experiences of rural home care nurses during COVID-19 reflects the chaos, uncertainty, and fear that was felt globally. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations for future pandemic planning are suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jill Bally
- College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Shelley Kirychuk
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Canadian Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Gerri Lasiuk
- College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Bajgain B, Rabi S, Ahmed S, Kiryanova V, Fairie P, Santana MJ. Patient-reported experiences and outcomes of virtual care during COVID-19: a systematic review. J Patient Rep Outcomes 2023; 7:126. [PMID: 38038800 PMCID: PMC10692047 DOI: 10.1186/s41687-023-00659-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The onset of COVID-19 has caused an international upheaval of traditional in-person approaches to care delivery. Rapid system-level transitions to virtual care provision restrict the ability of healthcare professionals to evaluate care quality from the patient's perspective. This poses challenges to ensuring that patient-centered care is upheld within virtual environments. To address this, the study's objective was to review how virtual care has impacted patient experiences and outcomes during COVID-19, through the use of patient-reported experience and outcome measures (PREMs and PROMs), respectively. METHODS A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines to evaluate patient responsiveness to virtual care during COVID-19. Using an exhaustive search strategy, relevant peer-reviewed articles published between January 2020 and 2022 were pulled from MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PsychInfo databases. Study quality was independently assessed by two reviewers using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A patient partner was consulted throughout the study to provide feedback and co-conduct the review. RESULTS After removing duplicates, 6048 articles underwent title and abstract review, from which 644 studies were included in the full-text review stage. Following this, 102 articles were included in the study. Studies were published in 20 different countries, were predominantly cross-sectional, and reported on the delivery of virtual care in specialized adult outpatient settings. This review identified 29 validated PREMs and 43 PROMs. Several advantages to virtual care were identified, with patients citing greater convenience, (such as saving travel time and cost, less waiting experienced to see care providers) and increased protection from viral spread. Some studies also reported challenges patients and caregivers faced with virtual care, including feeling rushed during the virtual care appointment, lack of physical contact or examination presenting barriers, difficulty with communicating symptoms, and technology issues. CONCLUSION This review provides supportive evidence of virtual care experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic from patient and caregiver perspectives. This research provides a comprehensive overview of what patient-reported measures can be used to record virtual care quality amid and following the pandemic. Further research into healthcare professionals' perspectives would offer a supportive lens toward a strong person-centered healthcare system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bishnu Bajgain
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sarah Rabi
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Sadia Ahmed
- Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Patient Engagement Team, Calgary, AB, Canada.
| | - Veronika Kiryanova
- Patient and Community Engagement Research, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Paul Fairie
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Patient Engagement Team, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Maria J Santana
- Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
- Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Patient Engagement Team, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Barshikar S, Laguerre M, Gordon P, Lopez M. Integrated Care Models for Long Coronavirus Disease. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2023; 34:689-700. [PMID: 37419540 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmr.2023.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Professional or governmental agencies and organizations have developed guidelines to define the problem and evaluate and manage patients with Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 (PASC). Multidisciplinary models largely exist in academic centers and larger cities; however, most care for PASC patients is provided by the primary care providers. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation has been in the forefront in releasing consensus statements as a part of the long COVID collaborative.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surendra Barshikar
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5161 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9055, USA.
| | - Martin Laguerre
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5161 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9055, USA
| | - Patricia Gordon
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5161 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9055, USA
| | - Marielisa Lopez
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5161 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9055, USA
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Shahrestanaki SK, Rafii F, Najafi Ghezeljeh T, Farahani MA, Majdabadi Kohne ZA. Patient safety in home health care: a grounded theory study. BMC Health Serv Res 2023; 23:467. [PMID: 37165357 PMCID: PMC10171141 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-09458-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The home environment is designed for living, not for professional care. For this reason, safe patient care is one of the most important challenges of home health care. Despite abundant research on safe care, there is still little understanding of safety issues in home care. DESIGN The aim of the present study was to explain the process of safe patient care in home health care. A qualitative, grounded theory study was conducted based on the approach proposed by Corbin & Strauss in 2015. METHOD In total, 22 interviews were conducted with 16 participants including 9 home care nurses, 2 home care nursing assistants, 1 home care inspector, 1 home care physician and 3 family caregivers in Tehran, Iran. Four observation sessions were conducted in different homes. Purposeful sampling was used followed by theoretical sampling from August 2020-July 2022. Data analysis was carried out based on the approach proposed by Corbin & Strauss in 2015. RESULTS The results showed that the healthcare members (nurses, family caregivers, patients and home care centers) used the model of safe patient care in home health care based on four assessment methods, i.e. prevention, foresight, establishment of safety and verification. The core variable in this process is foresight-based care. CONCLUSION The results of this study showed that the key to safe patient care in home health care, which helps to maintain patient safety and prevent threats to safe care, is the foresight of healthcare members, which is essential for identifying threats to safe care considering the many risks of home health care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Forough Rafii
- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tahereh Najafi Ghezeljeh
- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Cardiovascular Nursing Research Center, Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mansoureh Ashghali Farahani
- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Kesavadev J, Mohan V. Reducing the Cost of Diabetes Care with Telemedicine, Smartphone, and Home Monitoring. J Indian Inst Sci 2023; 103:1-12. [PMID: 37362855 PMCID: PMC10119511 DOI: 10.1007/s41745-023-00363-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The effect of an increasing diabetes population has resulted in escalated costs and overburdened physicians. The increase in cost is not due to the disease per se, but because of its largely preventable complications. Patient-friendly technologies are proven to significantly reduce complications and thereby cost, but seldom practised. Telemedicine is increasingly being utilized in diabetology to improve access to health care, quality of care, and clinical/psychosocial outcomes in patients with diabetes (PWD). In PWD, patient-physician interactions are essential for improving health outcomes and preventing long-term complications. Smartphones are one of the basic modalities for telemedicine application. Mobile phone messaging applications, including text messaging and multimedia message service, could offer a convenient and cost-effective way to support desirable health behaviors. There are diabetes-related mobile apps mainly focusing on self-management of diabetes, lifestyle modification, and medication adherence motivation. With the widespread availability of high-speed Internet, remote monitoring has also become popular. Home monitoring of blood glucose and blood pressure, wearable devices, and continuous glucose monitoring also play a vital role in bringing down the long‑term vascular complications of diabetes and thereby reduce the overall cost and improve the quality of life of patients. There are hundreds of tech platforms for diabetes management, of which only a few with proven efficacy and safety are recommended by physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Viswanathan Mohan
- Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
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Lalanza S, Peña C, Bezos C, Yamauchi N, Taffner V, Rodrigues K, Garcia Manrique M, Rubio Jareño A, Lemos Gil A. Patient and Healthcare Professional Insights of Home- and Remote-Based Clinical Assessment: A Qualitative Study from Spain and Brazil to Determine Implications for Clinical Trials and Current Practice. Adv Ther 2023; 40:1670-1685. [PMID: 36795221 PMCID: PMC9933016 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-023-02441-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic has accelerated the growing trend towards using home- and remote-based medical testing (H/RMT). The aim of this study was to gather insights and explore the opinions of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in Spain and Brazil regarding H/RMT and the impact of decentralised clinical trials. METHODS This qualitative study consisted of in-depth open question interviews of HCPs and patients/caregivers followed by a workshop that aimed to determine the advantages and barriers to H/RMT in general, and in the context of clinical trials. RESULTS There were 47 participants in the interviews (37 patients, 2 caregivers, 8 HCPs) and 32 in the validation workshops (13 patients, 7 caregivers, 12 HCPs). The main advantages for the use of H/RMT in current practice were the comfort and convenience, the ability to improve the relationship between HCPs and patients and personalise patient care, and the increased patient awareness towards their disease. Barriers to H/RMT included accessibility, digitalisation, and the training requirements for both HCPs and patients. Furthermore, according to the Brazilian participants, there is a general distrust in the logistical management of H/RMT. Patients indicated that the convenience of H/RMT did not influence their decision to participate in a clinical trial, with the main reason for participating in a clinical trial being to improve health; however, H/RMT in clinical research does aid adherence to the long-term follow-up associated with trials and provides access to patients living far from the clinical sites. CONCLUSION Insights from patients and HCPs suggest that the advantages of H/RMT may outweigh the barriers, and that social, cultural and geographical factors and the HCP-patient relationship are critical aspects to be considered. Moreover, the convenience of H/RMT does not appear to be a driver for participating in a clinical trial but can facilitate patient diversity and study adherence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simón Lalanza
- Instituto de Experiencia del Paciente en C/Mieses 1, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Catalina Peña
- Instituto de Experiencia del Paciente en C/Mieses 1, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Bezos
- Instituto de Experiencia del Paciente en C/Mieses 1, Majadahonda, 28220 Madrid, Spain
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Afshari P, Beheshti-Nasab M, Maraghi E, Sadeghi S, Sanjari N, Zarea K. Home care in COVID-19 patients with the home-quarantined condition: A study from Iran. Front Public Health 2022; 10:952618. [PMID: 36148335 PMCID: PMC9485635 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.952618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives During the COVID-19 home-quarantines, home care services may act as an auxiliary component of health care system, which reduces the burden on the formal health care system. This study aimed to investigate the status of informal home care provided for home quarantined patients with COVID-19 in southwest Iran. Methods This descriptive study was conducted on 288 patients with COVID-19 in Ahvaz (southwest Iran). Inclusion criteria included a known case of COVID-19, willingness to participate in the study, recommendation of home quarantine from a health center, having a smartphone, and fluency in reading and writing in Persian, and the exclusion criterion was a history of COVID-19 longer than 3 months. The data collection method was structured interviews based on a questionnaire (face-to-face-telephone calls-video call). SPSS software was used for the analysis of data. Results 45.5% of the participants in the study were women with a mean age of 37.82 (10.48%) and 55.5% were men with a mean age of 36.12 (11.93%). Findings showed that in most cases, the spouse (61.4) is responsible for the care of the patient, and in other cases, parents are responsible for this duty. 57.3% of the patients stated that they themselves had to leave home to provide for necessities of life, and 37.2% stated that they were in charge of cooking. 47.9% of the patients evaluated the quality of quality of care provided at home as good. Most of patients and caregivers referred to hospital for getting information (35.8% patients and 34% caregivers). Most of patients recovered from diseases (60.8%) and 39.2% were hospitalized. Although 43.9% of men and 33.6% of women were hospitalized and a there was a significant difference between men and women (P < 0.04). Conclusion During COVID-19 pandemic home care to reduce the burden on the health system are very important. We must also know that this type of care requires informed and planned support and sufficient community education. The health care system needs to put self-care and family care among its top priorities. The focus should be on educational and mental support of informal caregivers along with measures that protect their relatives from COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poorandokht Afshari
- Reproductive Health Promotion Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Maryam Beheshti-Nasab
- Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Elham Maraghi
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Simin Sadeghi
- Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | | | - Kourosh Zarea
- Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Gupta R, Kesavadev J, Krishnan G, Agarwal S, Saboo B, Shah M, Mittal A, Durani S, Luthra A, Singhal A, Rasheed M, Rao GVS, Tripathi V, Jha A, Ghosh A, Mohan V, Singh AK, Phatak S, Panicker J, Bhadada SK, Joshi S, Pal R, Mithal A, Vikram N, Misra A. COVID-19 associated mucormycosis: A Descriptive Multisite Study from India. Diabetes Metab Syndr 2021; 15:102322. [PMID: 34717135 PMCID: PMC8635309 DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2021.102322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection and carries a significant morbidity and mortality. A number of cases of mucormycosis have been reported in association with COVID-19. In this study, a consortium of clinicians from various parts of India studied clinical profile of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM) and this analysis is presented here. METHODS Investigators from multiple sites in India were involved in this study. Clinical details included the treatment and severity of COVID-19, associated morbidities, as well as the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of mucormycosis. These data were collected using google spreadsheet at one centre. Descriptive analysis was done. RESULTS There were 115 patients with CAM. Importantly, all patients had received corticosteroids. Diabetes was present in 85.2% of patients and 13.9% of patients had newly detected diabetes. The most common site of involvement was rhino-orbital. Mortality occurred in 25 (21.7%) patients. On logistic regression analysis, CT scan-based score for severity of lung involvement was associated with mortality. CONCLUSION Universal administration of corticosteroids in our patients is notable. A large majority of patients had diabetes, while mortality was seen in ∼1/5th of patients, lower as compared to recently published data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Gopika Krishnan
- Jothydev's Diabetes Research Centre, Trivandrum, Kerala, India
| | | | | | | | - Atul Mittal
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Suhail Durani
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Atul Luthra
- Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Anuj Singhal
- Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, India
| | | | - G V S Rao
- Dr Rao's ENT Centre, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | | | - Alka Jha
- Fortis Rajan Dhall Hospital, New Delhi, India
| | | | - V Mohan
- Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Rimesh Pal
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Naval Vikram
- All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
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Kesavadev J, Krishnan G, Mohan V. Digital health and diabetes: experience from India. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 2021; 12:20420188211054676. [PMID: 34820114 PMCID: PMC8606976 DOI: 10.1177/20420188211054676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The digitization of healthcare and its usage in the delivery of healthcare have experienced exponential growth across the world in recent times. India's fast-growing diabetes population has been exerting immense pressure on the country's healthcare infrastructure. Various innovative and evolving technologies are converging to impact the trajectory of digital health in diabetes. The diabetes community has been adopting various technologies such as connected glucose meters, continuous glucose monitoring systems, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion, closed-loop systems, digitalization of health data, and diabetes-related apps for the prevention and management of the condition. India has provided some excellent examples in exploiting the potential of digital transformation in revamping the diabetes ecosystem. Yet, there are still various hurdles in technology development, healthcare delivery, as well as concerns related to data privacy, digital divide, policies by the government, role of stakeholders, attitude, and absorption by healthcare professionals, and hospitals. This article provides an overview of the digital diabetes technologies currently practiced in India and recommends the need for strong technology adaptation and policy interventions for an ideal roadmap of digitalization of diabetes care in the Indian milieu.
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