People with type 2 diabetes have access to a variety of digital health tools, including mobile apps for iPhone and remote patient monitoring devices, all of which can help manage blood sugar levels. You can test at home, usually using a blood glucose meter, and communicate that data to your care team through an app, web portal, phone call, or by waiting for an appointment.
However, these monitoring tools assume some understanding of technology and, in some cases, mathematical proficiency, which many patients do not have. And they all need what’s in short supply: clinicians.
Now, researchers at Stanford Medicine are developing voice-based artificial intelligence that runs on devices already familiar to tens of millions of Americans: smart speakers, which are commonly used to play music or check the weather. Developed the application. This app tells patients the correct insulin dose without having to contact a doctor’s office or wait for an appointment.
“People simply don’t have access to as much care,” says Dr. Ashwin Nayak, assistant professor of clinical medicine. “We want patients to be able to do it themselves.” Nayak is lead author of a paper based on the study, which was published last month. JAMA network open. Dr. Sharif Vakili is also the lead author.
Participants in randomized trials using this system reached optimal blood sugar levels much faster than the control group. They also improved at taking the prescribed amount of insulin at the prescribed time.
Additionally, they reported lower levels of diabetes-related psychological distress.
