New York discusses how to adapt chronic disease treatment to patients’ lives — TIME
At the TIME100 Health Leadership Forum in New York, United States, discussion participants called for care for people with chronic diseases to be built around their daily lives, psychological well-being, and support needs. TIME reports.
Life after diagnosis
Garrett Vogel, a host of Elvis Duran and the Morning Show and a type 1 diabetes advocate, said that when he was 11, his parents initially mistook the symptoms of the disease for the flu. By the time he was hospitalized, his blood sugar level had exceeded 1,000.
According to Vogel, after a diabetes diagnosis, patients and their families must undertake significant emotional work. An endocrinologist explained the medical aspects of the disease to him, but his parents largely helped him cope with its emotional consequences. He noted that more than three decades later, he is still learning to live with diabetes, while technology, a willingness to ask questions, and communication with people with similar experiences have made day-to-day management of the condition easier.
Technology and fewer daily decisions
Insulet President and CEO Ashley McEvoy said that the development of diabetes-management technologies should rely not only on clinical data but also on an understanding of patients’ everyday experiences. Insulet manufactures the tubeless Omnipod insulin pump.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
McEvoy emphasized that type 2 diabetes is a chronic progressive disease, but people with this diagnosis do not always receive as much compassion as patients with type 1 diabetes because of widespread perceptions. She said the company is working on technology intended to reduce the number of decisions a patient must make independently, including decisions about administering insulin during meals, manually adjusting doses, and system settings. In her view, this could make it easier for primary care physicians, rather than only endocrinologists, to recommend such technologies and monitor patients.
Psychological support
Psychiatrist and researcher Judith Joseph emphasized that chronic disease treatment must take a person’s psychological state into account. She noted that the medical environment can seem sterile and frightening to patients, causing them to feel that doctors do not see them.
Joseph also drew attention to the role of online communities. According to her, patients with rare diseases who felt invisible found support through social media, shared experiences, and were able to discuss the information they received with their doctors. She urged people with chronic conditions not to associate their illness with personal blame or shame.
