24
LIVING
Reasons to be cheerful
Dr Rose Stewart is a
Consultant Clinical
Psychologist and Diabetes
Psychology Lead at Betsi
Cadwaladr University Hospital Board.
She is also an author as well as being
the Chair of UK Diabetes Psychology
Network and one of Diabetes UK's
Clinical Champions.
It's often assumed that we all want
to go on diabetes technology, but
that's not always the case. Likewise,
not everyone who gets to go on it,
stays on it. The reasons can be simple
- 'I don't want people to see it and
ask me about it', or more complex
with many factors involved.
Of course, no one wants anyone
to have a bad time with diabetes tech,
but it's often been said that it's about
getting the right bit of kit, to the right
person, at the right time. There's
also a philosophy of trying to get it
right first time (GiRFT) which can
mean that it takes time to get to the
right decision.
It's obviously very hard to know
what it's going to be like using a
particular bit of kit until you actually
give it a try and access to it has, to
date, been one of the biggest factors
for the drag in uptake. Here, Dr
Stewart looks at some of the reasons
why some people are wary about
diabetes tech.
Three's company
Says Stewart, "I often use a quote
from Douglas Adams, who wrote
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Universe, who said that 'technology
is a word that describes something
that doesn't work yet.', as it reminds
me that we're on a journey with
diabetes technology. It's a time of real
We spoke to Dr Rose Stewart about emotional health
and the psychological impact of technology on people
living with Type 1 diabetes.