Therapy management of type 2 diabetes is complex – for both physician and patient. More and more treatment approaches are entering the market with increasingly specific requirements and outcomes. What is promising in principle, however, means a high degree of knowledge about the current data situation. Not easy to implement in daily practice. A digital solution is now to provide assistance here.
(red) Optimal diabetes therapy is based on the individual requirements of the patient and ensures that blood glucose levels remain within limits. A wide range of different preparations paves the way for a patient-oriented approach. The new antidiabetic drugs do not exclusively address the symptoms of diabetes, but often have valuable additional benefits such as cardio- or nephroprotection. However, a broad armamentarium also carries risks, as the treatment regimen becomes more complex. To achieve the best possible quality of life, the mode of application of the drug intervention should be considered as much as the individual life situation. It is equally important to avoid adverse drug reactions. Nevertheless, the dosage must be optimally adjusted to the respective target value. No easy feat.
Support is now available for selecting the optimal treatment strategy in each case: the “Swiss Diabetes Guide” app was developed specifically for healthcare professionals and is intended to serve as a decision-making aid for personalized antidiabetic therapy in everyday clinical practice. In addition to considering insulin deficiency (e.g., polydipsia, polyuria, ketonuria, weight loss), comorbidities such as renal function impairment, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and heart failure are also recorded. This information is used to estimate cardiovascular risk. The treatment-relevant parameters are supplemented by the preferences of the patient and the practitioner. The therapy suggestions thus obtained are evidence-based and based on the recommendations of the SGED. Recommendations are generated directly on the user’s device, so no Internet connection is required and the application does not collect or store any personal data. For all information on the individual preparations approved in Switzerland, the “Arzneimittel-Informationspublikationssystem” (AIPS) of Swissmedic was accessed. Currently, this application does not have the official status of a medical product, accordingly, this application is not CE certified, but this is being sought.
Further reading:
- Schneider L, Lehmann R: Decision support for personalized therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus. “Swiss Diabetes Guide. Swiss Med Forum 2021; 21(1516): 251-256.
CARDIOVASC 2021; 20(2): 36
