Teletransmission system supporting intensive insulin treatment of out-clinic type 1 diabetic pregnant women. Technical assessment during 3 years’ application

Abstract

A telematic system supporting intensive insulin treatment of pregnant type 1 diabetic out-clinic patients was implemented and technical efficiency of the system was evaluated over long-term ambulatory application. The system consists of a patient teletransmission module (PTM) and a central clinical control unit (CCU). The PTM contains a one-box blood glucose meter and electronic logbook, a modem and a dial-up or cellular phone set. The CCU consists of a PC computer with a modem and DIAPRET - an original program designed to monitor the intensive insulin treatment. The system was installed in the Clinic of Gastroenterology and Metabolic Disease, MA Warsaw and was tested for 166 +/- 24 days on 15 pregnant type 1 diabetic women. Telemonitoring of the patient data was done automatically. No major technical problems with proper operation or handling of the system was noted. Total effectiveness was 69.3 +/- 13.0% and technical effectiveness 91.5 +/- 6.1%. The efficacy of the system was not significantly influenced by patient intelligence level, education level or place of residence (p < 0.05). Significant improvement of metabolic control was noted during application of the system. In conclusion, the telematic system we developed and implemented should have a positive influence on the quality of diabetes treatment during pregnancy.