Use of Social Media as a Platform for Education and Support for People With Diabetes During a Global Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Patient education is a fundamental aspect of self-management of diabetes. The aim of this study was to understand whether a social media platform is a viable method to deliver education to people with diabetes and understand if people would engage and interact with it. METHODS: Education sessions were provided via 3 platforms in a variety of formats. "Tweetorials" and quizzes were delivered on the diabetes101 Twitter account, a virtual conference via Zoom and video presentations uploaded to YouTube. Audience engagement during and after the sessions were analyzed using social media metrics including impressions and engagement rate using Twitter analytics, Tweepsmap, and YouTube Studio. RESULTS: A total of 22 "tweetorial" sessions and 5 quizzes with a total of 151 polls (both in tweetorial and quiz sessions) receiving a total of 21,269 votes took place. Overall, the 1-h tweetorial sessions gained 1,821,088 impressions with an engagement rate of 6.3%. The sessions received a total of 2,341 retweets, 2,467 replies and 10,060 likes. The quiz days included 113 polls receiving 16,069 votes. The conference covered 8 topics and was attended live by over 100 people on the day. The video presentations on YouTube have received a total of 2,916 views with a watch time of 281 h and 8,847 impressions. CONCLUSION: Despite the limitations of social media, it can be harnessed to provide relevant reliable information and education about diabetes allowing people the time and space to learn at their own pace.

The role of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in frail older adults with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors offer significant outcome benefits beyond glucose lowering, including reduced risk of cardiovascular death, all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, hospitalisations for heart failure and progression of renal disease. Considering these therapeutic effects, minimal incremental risk for hypoglycaemia and simplicity of administration, this drug class appears to be an attractive therapeutic option for older adults, and post hoc analysis of trial data provides support for the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in this population. Nevertheless, despite favourable clinical trial data, there has been some hesitance in clinical practice prescribing these drugs to older frail adults due to the limited therapeutic experience in this population and insufficient long-term safety data. In this review article, we evaluate the risk-benefit profile for the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in this population and suggest that rather than being a treatment to avoid, SGLT2 inhibitors should be considered a valid therapeutic option for older frail adults with or without diabetes.

Defining the Role of SGLT2 Inhibitors in Primary Care: Time to Think Differently.

Disease burden in people with diabetes is mainly driven by long-term complications such as cardiovascular disease, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. This is a consequence of the interconnection between the cardiovascular, renal and metabolic systems, through a continuous chain of events referred to as 'the cardiorenal metabolic continuum'. Increasing evidence suggests that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) have beneficial effects across all stages of the cardiorenal metabolic continuum, reducing morbidity and mortality in a wide range of individuals, from those with diabetes and multiple risk factors to those with established heart failure and chronic kidney disease, regardless of the presence of diabetes. Despite this robust evidence base, the complexity of label indications and misconceptions concerning potential side effects have resulted in a lack of clear understanding in primary care regarding the implementation of SGLT2is in clinical practice. With this in mind, we provide an overview of the clinical and economic benefits of SGLT2is across the cardiorenal metabolic continuum together with practical considerations in order to help address some of these concerns and clearly define the role of SGLT2is in primary care as a holistic outcomes-driven treatment with the potential to reduce disease burden across the cardiorenal metabolic spectrum.

Meeting the Challenge of Virtual Diabetes Care: A Consensus Viewpoint on the Positioning and Value of Oral Semaglutide in Routine Clinical Practice.

While glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), such as semaglutide, are among the most effective drugs for treating people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), they are clinically under-utilised. Until recently, the only route for semaglutide administration was via subcutaneous injection. However, an oral formulation of semaglutide was recently licensed, with the potential to address therapy inertia and increase patient adherence to treatment, which is essential in controlling blood glucose and reducing complications. The availability of oral semaglutide provides a new option for both clinicians and patients who are reluctant to use an injectable agent. This has been of particular importance in addressing the challenge of virtual diabetes care during the COVID-19 pandemic, circumventing the logistical problems that are often associated with subcutaneous medication administration. However, there remains limited awareness of the clinical and economic value of oral semaglutide in routine clinical practice. In this article, we present our consensus opinion on the role of oral semaglutide in routine clinical practice and discuss its value in reducing the burden of delivering diabetes care in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period of chronic disease management.

Association of British Clinical Diabetologists (ABCD) and Diabetes UK joint position statement and recommendations for non-diabetes specialists on the use of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in people with type 2 diabetes (January 2021).

Sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are now an established class of medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (T2D), no longer reserved for use by specialists in diabetes. They are being used increasingly for their cardiac and renal benefits by primary care, cardiology and renal teams for indications in parallel with diabetes care as part of holistic management. This guidance provides essential information on SGLT therapy, including the main advantages and the important risks of which healthcare professionals should be aware.