A Technology Guide for Type 1 Diabetes Management
Between school, extracurriculars, and social obligations, a young person’s life is already busy. But adding type 1 diabetes management on top of that can feel like an overwhelming load for the patient—and a full-time job for their parents.
However, advances in diabetes technology give people with the condition and their caregivers a little more freedom in their daily lives, helping reduce the constant worry about blood glucose levels or insulin doses.
“ show that mothers of children with type 1 diabetes meet the criteria for PTSD a year post-diagnosis,” says Trina Brown, MS, APRN, a nurse practitioner in at СAPP. “Technology can really help with reassurance and alleviating those feelings of anxiety.”
Know Your Tech Choices
Technology advances help keep patients in their target glucose range. Many of these devices have smartphone app-based management, which helps inform parents about their child’s numbers both at home and remotely.
Some common tools include:
- Smart pens. If your child is too young to calculate their own insulin doses, smart pens are a good option. These pens are connected to an app to calculate and monitor insulin doses, helping to adjust dosages based on glucose trends. The parent or patient can then give a shot based on the app’s recommendation. This also means the patient doesn’t need to wear a device constantly, which can be tricky with young kids.
- Insulin pumps. These are wearable devices that constantly deliver small amounts of insulin. You can also adjust them to deliver insulin amounts based on circumstances, such as at mealtimes or when glucose levels are too high or too low. Pumps reduce the need for daily injections, which can be scary for a young patient weary of needles.
- Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs). These wearable devices constantly read glucose levels. Today, many CGM models can be paired with an insulin pump that uses an algorithm to predict glucose trends and adjust the amount of insulin being administered to reach a glucose target, typically every five minutes. Insulin delivery can also be stopped to prevent hypoglycemia. These are known as automated insulin delivery systems or hybrid closed-loop systems. While some manual management, such as tracking carbohydrates, is still required with hybrid systems, they take a lot of anxiety out of diabetes management.
“The CGMs have probably given the most assurance and benefit to our pediatric patients and their parents,” Brown explains. “Parents can watch glucoses during a sports game and discreetly ask the coach to call a time-out to treat low glucose before it becomes severe. Then that child doesn’t get singled out in front of everyone for having diabetes.”
The Ease of Smartphone Integration
These advancements in technology increase the safety of diabetes management and also offer more convenience. Parents can monitor glucose levels in real time while their child is at school or a friend’s house, and the patient only needs to carry one device with them—a phone.
“They can pull out their phone and tell their insulin pump how much they’re eating,” Brown says, “and it’s literally like they’re texting their pancreas. It just looks like they’re texting somebody or doing something on their phone, so it takes away some of that stigma around having diabetes.”
The Future of Type 1 Diabetes Management
There is also a system called an artificial pancreas, which uses an insulin pump and a CGM in a “closed-loop” system. This means the pump and CGM communicate with each other, analyze the data, and adjust the insulin delivery as needed without any input from a human. However, this technology is still advancing.
“To be a true artificial pancreas, that means no human involvement and the pump and sensor do all the adjustments,” Brown explains. “We’re just not quite there yet. One pump on the market that is closest to this model still requires meal announcements, meaning you have to let the pump know when you’re eating, and then the pump makes its own adjustments.”
You're Not Alone
If you’re a parent of a , you may feel isolated, especially if you don’t know anyone else who is in your situation. Managing a chronic illness for a child is overwhelming, but parents can utilize many , ranging from to . Building a village with other parents who are dealing with the same illness lets you know that you are not alone in this journey.
Winning the Bedtime Battle: How to Help Kids Sleep Better
Bedtime battles are common, but a consistent sleep routine can make a world of difference. Pediatrician Cindy Gellner, MD, talks about why sleep schedules matter, how to handle common bedtime struggles, and when to seek medical advice for your child's sleep issues.
How to Handle Screen Related Temper Issues in Children
Is your child's screen time causing more tantrums? Pediatrician Cindy Gellner, MD, reveals how excessive digital exposure can lead to emotional challenges in kids.
