Monthly video consultation for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS: To explore the impact of primarily telemedical care for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes by monthly video consultations on metabolic control and parents' treatment satisfaction and disease-specific burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this 12-month multicenter observational follow-up VIDIKI 2.0 study, 100 participants (3-18 years) received monthly video consultations, which partially replaced quarterly outpatient clinic appointments during the pandemic. The children's metabolic parameters as well as the parents' treatment satisfaction and diabetes specific burden were assessed at study entry and 12 months later. RESULTS: During the study, 912 video consultations took place (mean 0.84 ±â€¯0.23 / patient/month). The children's HbA1c remained stable, while mean sensor glucose level and glucose management indicator decreased. Simultaneously, parents' treatment satisfaction significantly increased, and their diabetes-specific burden and distress decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Primarily telemedical care of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic via monthly video consultations resulted in a significant improvement in parents' treatment satisfaction and their diabetes-specific burden and distress. It was associated with a slight improvement in mean sensor glucose and glucose management indicator, while HbA1c remained stable. Thus, video consultations offer great potential to enhance standard care for children and adolescents with diabetes.

Video Consultation for Parents with a Child Newly Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study.

AIMS: With the exception of the coronavirus pandemic, video consultations have not been a part of the standard care for children with diabetes in Germany. The "Virtual Diabetes Outpatient Clinic for Children and Adolescents 2.0" (VIDIKI 2.0) study investigated the effect of monthly and supplementary video consultations on standard care over one year. The qualitative substudy investigated the experiences of families with a child newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) who received at least four weekly supplementary video consultations. METHODS: Guideline-based qualitative interviews were conducted with seven families with children under the age of eight and T1DM onset shortly before study entry. The answers were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach, particularly inductive category formation. RESULTS: Families of patients with T1DM onset have questions, almost daily, concerning various aspects of insulin therapy. The offer of high-frequency video consultations can reduce the number of trips to the diabetes team, facilitate the organization of daily life and increase the sense of security. CONCLUSION: Video consultations as a supplementary offer of health care, especially after diabetes onset, were considered very helpful by the affected families. High-frequency video consultations may provide a tool to overcome existing deficiencies in specialized diabetes care.