17
KIT
who do not have diabetes. We can
say that spikes after a meal happens
to us all, and that some fluctuation
is entirely normal. The new Dexcom
ONE+ has an optional 'delayed' first
alarm. It means that the person
has the option to not get an alarm
within the first hour after eating.
It just means that they can eat and
not get 'told off' by an alarm, which
will lead to a slightly less stress for
someone new to this blood glucose
reading tool.
"It's also the same after a person
has treated a hypo, the point is to
raise the blood glucose but again, you
don't need to be told quite so soon.
That ought to reduce the anxiety and
burden of the diagnosis.
"As psychologists, supporting
people using medical technology
is becoming a larger part of our
role. The fact that this simple
improvement allows for more
individualisation around each
person is really helpful as part of the
conversation we have with people.
They may not have even heard of
CGM sensors. It's a fairly big concept
to get used to from a standing start!"
Alarming statistics
Regarding the report, Stewart
says, "The Dexcom State of Type 2
Report has alarming statistics. It's
not just that Type 2 is generally on
the rise, but that it's being picked
up in younger populations, even
children, and the distress levels in
this population are really high. Plus,
we believe that there are literally
millions of people who have Type 2
diabetes that do not even know it.
We have to be mindful about
how the process of being diagnosed
with Type 2 diabetes is undertaken.
Often Type 2 diagnosis happen at
Primary Care, in GP surgeries. It's
not at a specialist diabetes clinic
at a hospital. Some people will
not know what it is, know nothing
about the condition. That can affect
the person's confidence and have
a knock-on effect to their mental
health. It's not helped by a general
As psychologists,
supporting people
using medical
technology is
becoming a
larger part of our
role. The fact
that this simple
improvement
allows for more
individualisation
around each
person is
really helpful ~
Dr Rose Stewart
misunderstanding in the public space
and often amplified by the media that
their Type 2 diagnosis is 'their fault'.
The fact is that many people will not
know what questions to ask, how
to ask - our role in diabetes care is
to better equip these people -with
skills, knowledge and understanding.
Using technology like sensors
can help to demonstrate how
blood glucose reacts and 'unlock'
the understanding of the person
diagnosed with T2D. They can see
the link between what they have
eaten, and what the glucose response
is in their own body to that food.
Our aim is to help them to
understand their glucose, but a
sensor number is not a judgment. It's
just useful information that can be
learned from.
A sensor is a bit like the
speedometer of a car - it's just lets
you know how fast you are going.
Or a blood pressure measurement,
are you in range? It's a tool that can
really benefit people, but they may
need help to actually see the 'big
picture' of the overall benefits.