Teleconsultation for pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experience of a university hospital in Brazil

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic expanded rapidly around the world in 2020 and health services needed to be reconfigured to meet the new demand and ensure the care of patients with chronic diseases. For patients with diabetes mellitus, the teleconsultation stood out as a tool for clinical management in this period. Objectives: Evaluate the impact of teleconsultation on glycemic control and prevention of acute complications related to diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents treated in a reference hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Descriptive study of data from pediatric diabetic patients who received teleconsultation between April and September 2020. Results: During this period, 143 diabetic patients were evaluated, with a median of 3.4 teleconsultations per patient in the studied period;requiring adjustment of insulin doses in 84.6% of cases. The hospital admission rate was 8,4% due to diabetic decompensation. The metabolic control (HbA1c) became worsen in 46% of the sample and improved in 37%. Conclusions: The teleconsultation promoted health care for patients with diabetes mellitus during the COVID-19 pandemic, but was not able to guarantee adequate glycemic control.