[Diabetes-Talk] Voice-enabled CGM benefits blind patients with diabetes

Fri Aug 28 21:24:27 UTC 2020

Veronica has worked tirelessly for decades to make diabetic devices accessible. Most of us here have done something from making our doctors aware of the issue to speaking at conferences and writing about it for publications. Veronica has done more than most. Action is in deed what we need; we needed it 20 years ago. We needed it 10 years ago. We needed it 5 years ago. We needed it yesterday. Because Veronica points out the lack of action within the Federation does not equate to her doing nothing about it. And for the record, we definitely need accessible CGMs, but the discussion at hand here for weeks has been about accessibility with insulin pumps. This is the particular accessibility issue we are trying to address. It would be helpful if the current issues at hand were understood.

Bridgit

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Lewis, Anil via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2020 3:56 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Lewis, Anil <ALewis at nfb.org>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Voice-enabled CGM benefits blind patients with diabetes

Noted, there are those that choose not to help, and that is certainly your prerogative. The option now is too complain about what did not happen, or to help move things forward. And we can definitely use as much help as can be provided. your choice.

Respectfully,

Anil

Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
 (410) 659-9314 x 2374 
National Federation of the Blind

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Jamie Gurganus via Diabetes-Talk
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2020 4:22 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Jamie Gurganus <jamielgurganus at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Voice-enabled CGM benefits blind patients with diabetes

 I was thinking the same thing. Glad you said it! How are things in your smoky world?

    Jamie

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 28, 2020, at 3:11 PM, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Duh! Those of us who have been using CGM's for years have known this. But since it's at an NFB center, suddenly it matters?
> Sorry.
> Veronica
> 
> 
> "Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now available on iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club. 
> To learn more, visit:
> http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
>                Veronica Elsea, Owner
> Laurel Creek Music Designs
> Santa Cruz, California
> Phone: 831-429-6407
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lewis, Anil via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Friday, August 28, 2020 10:52 AM
> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
> Cc: Lewis, Anil
> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Voice-enabled CGM benefits blind patients with diabetes
> 
> Voice-enabled CGM benefits blind patients with diabetes
> Medwire News 
> Laura Cowen 
> 
> Using voice-enabled continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) may help improve glycemic control and reduce severe hypoglycemia in legally blind patients with insulin-treated diabetes, US researchers report.
> Writing in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, H Kaan Akturk and colleagues from the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes in Aurora, Colorado, explain that diabetes management can be challenging in this group of individuals because “[i]nsulin administration products such as pens and pumps and glucose monitoring systems are not widely optimized for visually impaired patients with diabetes.”
> The first and, at present, only CGM device to address this is the Dexcom G6 system, say. Akturk et al. They explain that Dexcom G6 users can ask the voice-enabled Siri feature (Apple Inc, Cupertino, California, USA) to read out their glucose readings and display their graph directly on a locked smartphone screen.
> In the current study, the researchers retrospectively reviewed the impact of this feature in seven legally blind patients (mean age 49 years) with diabetes (mean duration 43 years) who were on intensive insulin therapy. Four of the participants were taking insulin via multiple daily injection and the remaining three were using an insulin pump.
> The team found that, after 12 months of Dexcom G6 with Apple Siri use, there was a significant reduction in glycated hemoglobin. At baseline, mean levels ranged from approximately 7.2% to 10.0% (55–86 mmol/mol) among the patients, while after 12 months this range was approximately 5.0% to 8.8% (31–73 mmol/mol).
> Furthermore, time spent in the target blood glucose range (70–180 mg/dL; 3.9–10.0 mmol/L) increased significantly from an average of 50.9% at 3 months to 56.8% at 12 months, without a corresponding increase in time spent in hypoglycemia.
> Indeed, the mean time spent in hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dL; 3.9 mmol/L) was 2.3% at 3 months and 2.2% at 12 months, while the mean time spent in severe hypoglycemia (<54 mg/dL;3.0 mmol/L) was 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively.
> There was also a reduction in the number of severe hypoglycemia episodes requiring medical assistance. In the 12 months prior to initiating Dexcom G6 with Siri use, one patient experienced three episodes and five patients each experienced one episode. By comparison, there were no such episodes recorded in any of the patients in the first 12 months of Dexcom G6 with Siri use.
> Akturk and co-authors point out that the Dexcom G6 Siri feature does not alert patients by itself. They say that patients “must use [the] Dexcom app on the smartphone with customizable loud alert settings to be alerted for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia.”
> They say that patients can then ask Siri their glucose level and proactively improve diabetes control.
> The team believes that “[i]nstant accessibility to glucose levels on CGM may decrease the constant supervision of visually impaired patients on intensive insulin therapy to caregivers and may decrease the response time for hypoglycemia.”
> medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2020 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group
> https://www.medwirenews.com/diabetes/voice-enabled-cgm-benefits-blind-patients-with-diabetes/18311284
> 
> Anil Lewis, M.P.A.
> (410) 659-9314 x 2374 
> National Federation of the Blind
> 
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