Top 5 stories from AADE 2015

Endocrine Today put together a compilation of the five news stories most viewed from the American Association of Diabetes Educators Annual Meeting to keep you abreast of the current hot topics in diabetes education.

Healio.com/Endocrinology readers were interested in monitoring of insulin, exercise counseling, diabetes management and more.

Double monitoring of insulin doses offers minimal protection against in-hospital errors

NEW ORLEANS – An insulin double-checking procedure was ineffective at preventing insulin errors when compared with usual care procedures in patients with diabetes, according to study findings presented here.

In a prospective, comparative, two-group research study involving five inpatient units conducted at Cleveland Clinic, researchers found that a subcutaneous insulin double-checking procedure did lead to fewer insulin administration errors; however, most errors were due to the timing of insulin administration, which double-checking did not reduce. Read more.

Exercise counseling integral component of diabetes education

NEW ORLEANS — Exercise counseling is an important aspect of a diabetes educator’s job, but it is often neglected, a presenter said here.

Robert Powell, PhD, CDE, CEP, stressed the importance of exercise counseling and discussed results from his study evaluating factors that could influence the ability of diabetes educators to counsel on physical activity during diabetes self-management education. Read more.

Smart meter advances connection between patients, educators in real-time diabetes management

NEW ORLEANS – Real-time connection to a certified diabetes educator via a smart blood glucose meter can help adults with diabetes receive help when they need it most, as well as to learn how to avoid problems in the future, according to a presenter speaking about a new platform to provide diabetes education.

Often, a patient with diabetes will leave a clinician’s office and is on their own to manage the condition for long periods before they are in touch again, said Jodi Pulizzi, RN, BSN, CDE, CHC, director of clinical services for Livongo Health, based in Chicago. According to Pulizzi, that patient may struggle with a meter that is not user-friendly, a lack of test strips due to insurance limits, and a lack of real-time data that could clue them in to potential self-management problems. Read more.

Telehealth platforms provide cost-effective outreach to patients with diabetes

NEW ORLEANS – Virtual patient contact through telehealth medicine can empower patients with diabetes to improve their self-care while allowing diabetes educators an opportunity to reach more people with more impact, according to a panel of presenters discussing the future of telemedicine.

“Asynchronous and synchronous telehealth platforms are the future of telehealth and provide increased options for patient engagement, education and the potential to improve diabetes control,” Joan Olveda, RN, CDE, of Sutter Health Diabetes Disease Management Program in Sacramento, CA, told Endocrine Today. Read more.

Electronic ‘smart forms’ provide essential information for diabetes management

NEW ORLEANS – Health care providers can harness existing technology to better track patients with diabetes and help them manage their care, according to a presentation here.

Finding a more efficient way to use electronic medical records (EMRs), providing educational tools via the Internet and using continuous glucose monitoring more often can help both patients and clinicians learn more about efficient diabetes management, said Jodi Lavin-Tompkins, RN, MSN, CDE, BC-ADM, program coordinator of the HealthPartners Diabetes Program in Bloomington, Minnesota. HealthPartners is an integrated, non-profit health care provider and health insurance company. Read more.