Diabetes and autism project launched at Diabetes Professional Care
DRWF joined healthcare professionals working in diabetes for collaboration and improving quality of care at recent Diabetes Professional Care.
DRWF recently joined healthcare professionals working in diabetes at the annual Diabetes Professional Care (DPC) event at Olympia London.
The two-day event saw more than 3,000 healthcare professionals gather at the UK's leading event for the entire multi-disciplinary team involved in preventing, treating and managing diabetes and its related conditions.
DRWF was proud to be an Event Partner at DPC, and our exhibition stand shared a wealth of information about our diabetes research and educational information resources.
In addition, we presented a session entitled Autism and Diabetes – unique challenges and solutions to a capacity 120-strong room full of delegates.
DRWF and Autek CIC recently announced a new collaboration with the aim of providing relevant and appropriate information to help diabetes management and improve diabetes outcomes for people living with autism.
Steve Bond, Director of Autek CIC, who presented the talk on autism and diabetes, said: “Understanding what diabetes meant for me was a real struggle.
“My experiences informed this project to create resources that will help autistic people understand and manage their diabetes better.
He added: “Sugar addiction in diabetes is a behaviour connected to autistic characteristics.
“Autistic people can have issues with social interaction that can create a problem with accessing health care and group support.
“Poor diabetes communications can lead to trauma for autistic people.”
Read more Working to improve diabetes outcomes for people with autism
In an early morning presentation on the second day of DPC, Debbie Hicks, Consultant Nurse, Diabetes Nursing, TREND Diabetes on the importance of correct injection technique discussed knowing what to look for and how to prevent complications including lipohypertrophy, or lipos.
Elsewhere, the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare based on the NHS 10-year plan - where it is mentioned 153 times – was presented by David Strain MD FRCP, Associate Professor in Cardiometabolic Health at the University of Exeter Medical School.
Professor Strain said: “How is AI going to affect our lives working in healthcare? CGMs (continuous glucose monitors) produce a huge amount of data and we have to figure out what to do with the data. AI can generate what to do with this information.”
He added: “There is potential to run simulations on each individual patient to test treatment possibilities - using a 'digital twin'. AI has real potential to provide innovative care and efficiency, however, there is a need for regulation.”
Almost half of adults in the UK have periodontitis according to NICE figures, as Dr Varkha Rattu, MClinDent Periodontology Postgraduate, King's College London discussed in her presentation The bloody sweet truth - the systemic cost of ignoring periodontitis.
In a presentation on How should we implement CGM across healthcare settings?, Professor Partha Kar, T1D & Tech Lead, Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “You want CGM results to be accurate enough and within the range. More choice is available and that is what we need to go forward.”
In the same presentation Bethany Kelly, Clinical Lead Diabetes Specialist Nurse at Wiltshire Health and Care HCRG and member of the DRWF Editorial Advisory Board and Amanda Williams, RCN Diabetes Forum Vice Chair and Lead Diabetes Nurse at East Kent Hospitals, discussed the benefits of CGM in helping healthcare professionals to monitor how their patients are managing their diabetes, with additional education available on lifestyle and diet changes for people living with type 2 diabetes.
Read more about living with diabetes in the series of DRWF information leaflets
Visit the Diabetes Professional Care website
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