LIVINGLIVING
Rob Schumm, speaking for Ascensia
Diabetes Care, has been considering how
much of a game-changer the pandemic
has been for healthcare providers. Here
are some of his thoughts: "A video
conference with your healthcare provider.
Weekly shopping delivered to the door.
Exercising with Joe Wicks at 9am on
YouTube. Zoom calls with friends and
family. Who would have guessed at
the start of 2020 that this would be the
new norm? The pandemic has created
challenges for all. Thankfully, due to
technological advances, Covid-19 has not
put the brakes on diabetes management.
Quite the opposite. The current situation
appears to have acted as a catalyst for
greater adoption. For example, as people
with diabetes shield and self-isolate,
they are now attending routine medical
appointments remotely, by phone or
video, and are sharing their BGM and
CGM data using cloud-based software.
This is today's reality.
"As a company that specializes in
diabetes technology, at Ascensia we
have been looking at ways to make our
solutions and support more useful for
people with diabetes, and at innovations
we need to develop to facilitate effective
diabetes management. Indeed, Covid19 may accelerate innovation and
change the way care is delivered years
after this crisis. The number of videobased medical interactions has grown
exponentially since March, showing
that face-to-face appointments may not
always be needed. Indeed, this shows it
is only really necessary when a healthcare
provider needs to physically interact with
a person with diabetes, for example to
take blood, check feet or coach someone
on the use of new equipment.
"Shifting the delivery of care to a
greater level of remote support, could
save patients and healthcare systems
time and money. However, we should not
underestimate the importance of social
interaction afforded through in-person
appointments, even when a phone call
would suffice, particularly when trying to
understand someone's mental health.
"At a time where many feel more
isolated than ever, technology has once
again come to the fore. Everyone across
the globe is adopting new social media,
video and collaboration tools to stay in
touch. We have moved from phone to
video, we are hosting birthdays and social
gatherings remotely - it's important for our
mental health to keep that connection.
"So, what does this mean postCovid? It's
hard to say right now. While
I am amazed by technology's ability to
enhance diabetes management, I'm even
more impressed with those adopting it
and their ability to stay positive, healthy
and social throughout this pandemic.
For many, Covid-19 has made life and
diabetes management more difficult.
However, we will come out of it stronger,
and with better tools to manage diabetes
at our disposal."
www.ascensia.co.uk
ASCENSIA DIABETES CARE (Ascensia brand)
Thankfully due
to technological
advances, Covid19 has not put the
brakes on diabetes
management.
"
Robert Schumm