Abstract
Background: There is a lack of systematic ways to analyze how diabetes patients use their insulin pumps to self-manage blood glucose to compensate for alcohol ingestion and exercise. The objective was to analyze "real-life" insulin dosing decisions occurring in conjunction with alcohol intake and exercise among patients using insulin pumps. Methods: We recruited adult type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients on insulin pump therapy. Participants were asked to maintain their daily routines, including those related to exercising and consuming alcohol, and keep a 30-day journal on exercise performed and alcohol consumed. Thirty days of insulin pump data were downloaded. Participants' actual insulin dosing behaviors were compared against their self-reported behaviors in the setting of exercise and alcohol. Results: Nineteen T1D patients were recruited and over 4000 interactions with the insulin pump were analyzed. The analysis exposed variability in how subjects perceived the effects of exercise/alcohol on their blood glucose, inconsistencies between self-reported and observed behaviors, and higher rates of blood glucose control behaviors for exercise versus alcohol. Conclusion: Compensation techniques and perceptions on how exercise and alcohol affect their blood glucose levels vary between patients. Improved individualized educational techniques that take into consideration a patient's unique life style are needed to help patients effectively apply alcohol and exercise compensation techniques.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 240-246 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 1 2017 |
Keywords
- alcohol
- carbohydrates
- diabetes
- exercise
- insulin dosing
- insulin pump
- self-management behaviors
- type 1 diabetes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Internal Medicine
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
- Bioengineering
- Biomedical Engineering