The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 6 (Dec 2014) | Page 42

SUPPLEMENT Diabetes: Going Digital

Diabetes: Going Digital Contents
40

The Role of Technology for People
Living with Diabetes

43

Using Game Technology to Help
Childhood Diabetes

47

Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Study
Shows Lower Blood Glucose when
Using Remote Diabetes Care
System with Patient App

Laser Device Could Mean an End to
Daily Diabetes Blood Tests

51

Microchip Test to Diagnose Type 1
Diabetes

52

New Treatment Option Launched
to Simplify Insulin Pump Therapy

52

Online Diabetes Risk Calculator
Developed

53

mySugr Revolutionises Diabetes
Education with New Platform for
People with Diabetes

54

The Bionic Future

Diabetes by the Numbers

44

50

47

New Glucose Monitoring System
Eliminates the Need for Routine
Finger Pricks

48

Technology Improving the
Understanding of Nutrition in
Diabetes

The Role of Technology for People
Living with Diabetes
In this interview Renza Scibilia, Manager
of the Type 1 Diabetes and Community
programs for Diabetes Australia (Victoria), who has lived with type 1 diabetes
herself for 16 years, shares her insight
and experience of the role that technology and digital solutions can have in the
treatment and management of diabetes.
Australia has one of the highest rates of
type 1 diabetes in the world. In the past
year alone over 3,021 new cases of type
1 diabetes were registered (8 new cases
every day). There are 118,000 Australians with type 1 diabetes of whom over
25,000 are young people under the age
of 30[1].
Despite type 1 diabetes affecting less
than 1% of the general population, complications alone are responsible for 4%
of all ambulatory care or hospital

40

Diabe tes: Going Digital

admissions and 5% of all hospital bed
days - more than angina or asthma[2].
The annual cost to the Australian health
system of type 1 diabetes is at least
$570M, with the average annual cost
per person with type 1 diabetes costing
$4,669 (ranging from $3,468 with no
complications to $16,698 for both micro
vascular and macro vascular complications[3]).
Technology can reduce some of this
burden upon the health system, as well
as providing significant improvements in
the quality of life experienced by those
having to live with the condition, on a
daily basis.
“From a treatment perspective, there are
some really great management tools, that
make life a little bit easier, particularly for

people living with type 1 diabetes” says
Renza Scibilia, who, through her firsthand experience of living with diabetes in combination with knowledge and
experience gained working for Diabetes
Australia, is able to provide an insightful
perspective on the types of technology
and digital solutions that can deliver tangible benefits to diabetics.
“Looking at type 1 diabetes, insulin
pumps have been around for a number
of years as have continuous glucose
monitors,” says Scibilia, “where things
have gotten exciting in the last 4-5 years
is where you have an integrated system,
whereby a continuous glucose monitor