The Artificial Pancreas Question: An Exploration of Existing and Emerging Technology

Background: Artificial pancreas system (APS) technology may considerably reduce variability in blood glucose, resulting in lower risk for hypoglycemia and complications, and by extension improve quality of life for people living with diabetes. While clinical trials, research, and experience have consistently demonstrated the value of an APS, the technology is still inaccessible to many patients. Patient-driven innovation has resulted in alternative solutions to available off-the-shelf APS devices. Objective: The purpose of this project was to increase understanding of existing and emerging APS technology among certified diabetes educators (CDEs). Methods: The Diffusion of Innovation was used as a theoretical framework to guide the project. A brief fact sheet of APS options was created for CDEs to facilitate understanding of existing and emerging APS devices and help CDEs answer patient questions. After the fact sheet was developed, CDEs evaluated its usefulness and acceptability. Results: Negative attitudes toward the use of "Do-it-yourself" APS were low. We found that the majority of CDEs see their lack of knowledge about how "Do-it-yourself" APS systems work to be the greatest barrier to answering patient questions about what is available (74.4%). Conclusions: Increased awareness and enhanced utilization of APS technology offer hope to further reduce the burden of diabetes. The Diffusion of Innovation provided a theoretical framework which helped explain our findings. Very few CDEs were early adopters of "Do-it-yourself" APS, which is primarily due to their lack of knowledge. We discovered there was a need to bridge the knowledge gap in the understanding of patient-developed technology, and the fact sheet provided a way to open discussions between CDEs and patients. Next steps could investigate different modes of dissemination, to put needed information in the hands of CDEs.