Diabetes Technology: State of the Art

In the last decades diabetes technology has developed into an integer part of diabetes therapy. A number of different technologies, most of them are also related to digitalization, are summarized under this heading: Techniques that enable a more accurate and reliable diagnostic approach, i.âŠe. glucose measurement for both, follow-up and diabetes diagnosis. Self-monitoring of capillary blood glucose samples is still a cornerstone of diabetes therapy of most patients with diabetes. It is impressive to see which level of measurement accuracy is possible with modern devices. With a smarter handling of the glucose information collected, i.âŠe. better translation into therapeutic action, improvements in patientÊs overall glucose control and well-being can be achieved. Technological advancements also helped to improve insulin pens and insulin pumps in the last years considerably, especially the development of thin and short needles. Bringing the glucose information with the therapeutic options available in a smart way enables construction of systems that automatically adjust insulin dosing to the individual needs and situation. Artificial pancreas systems will be used most probably by a considerable part of patients with diabetes, depending mainly on the costs involved. Digitalization will massively change the way patients are treated in the future, many decisions will not be made by the diabetologist and his team, but by smart algorithms. Such developments are associated with a number of aspects like data privacy that require careful handling and attention by diabetes medical associations. In summary, diabetes technology represents already an important pillar of diabetes therapy that most probably will gain an even bigger role in the future. ©Georg Thieme Verlag KG, Stuttgart New York.