Virtual insulin pump initiation is safe effective in children adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Objective: There is no head-to-head comparison of the safety and efficacy of virtual versus in-office insulin pump initiation for youth with type 1 diabetes in the US. The study's aim was to determine the safety and efficacy of virtual versus in-office pump initiation in pediatric type 1 diabetes.

Research design and methods: A longitudinal retrospective study of 112 subjects: 65% (n=73), ages 11.2 ± 3.8 years(y), received in-office training; and 35% (n=39), ages 12.0 ± 4.0y, received virtual training. The number of White subjects was 40 (55%) in the in-office group, and 25 (66%) in the remote group; while Black subjects were 11 (15%) in the in-office group and 4 (10%) in the virtual group. Data were collected at pump initiation, 3 and 6 months.

Results: There were no significant differences in sex, race, height, weight, BMI, and the duration of diabetes between the groups at baseline. There was no significant difference in A1c between the groups at 0, 3, and 6 months. A1c correlated significantly with the glucose management indicator at 0, 3, and 6 months: baseline: r=0.49, p<0.0001; 3 months: r=0.77, p<0.0001; and 6 months: r=0.71, p<0.0001. There was no relationship between A1c or TIR and pubertal status, BMI, sex, or race. A1c was significantly elevated in the non-White individuals at 6 months only: 57.9 mmol/mol (50.8-69.4) versus 51.9 mmol/mol (46.5-59.6)], p=0.007.

Conclusion: Virtual insulin pump initiation is safe and effective in children with type 1 diabetes. This approach could accelerate the adoption of the use of diabetes technology in minority populations in the US.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; adolescents; children; continuous glucose monitoring; hemoglobin A1c; insulin pump; type 1 diabetes.