The majority of clinical
care for the over 30 million people in the U.S. with diabetes occurs in primary
care. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large proportion of these visits
have been converted to telemedicine. In this session, we will discuss several
critical barriers to effective and equitable diabetes care through telehealth,
including the lack of training and resources for clinicians to engage in
effective diabetes prevention and management through telemedicine. Lack of
access to telemedicine for patients with hearing or vision impairment and access
to telemedicine for patients with lower income and educational achievement who
have less access to smartphones, video-enabled computers, and reliable internet
access.
We will also cover
strategies to address these barriers to help patients maintain control of diabetes
by reviewing evidence-based, cost-effective methods to optimize diabetes care
using telehealth, and provide a real-world example from an academic medical
center that successfully transformed its diabetes management program to
telehealth. Discussing efforts to transform the National Diabetes Prevention
Program to a virtual format, and how this provides important lessons for
conducting effective distance learning to initiate and sustain healthy
lifestyle change. And finally, by discussing how general internists can
transform their practice to minimize health disparities that may be caused by
telemedicine, including appropriate training in telehealth for healthcare
providers, waivers or financial support for patients in need, digital literacy
training and technical support available for patients and their families and
caregivers, community outreach to expand access to needed technology, and
advocacy for systemic change.
CEU Available: 1.0 CME; 1.0 MOC
CEU Expires: April 30, 2024
To receive
CME/MOC credit, you must (a) watch the video and (b) complete
the short assessment. After these two steps are completed, you will receive a
certificate.
Transforming Practice to Achieve Effective and Equitable Diabetes Care Through Telehealth
This item is expired.