How I Use Telehealth and Technology to Manage My Type 2 Diabetes

For Roger Hare and Nikki Nurse, who are both living with Type 2 diabetes, the convenience of telehealth and technology have made it much easier to stay healthy.

Here’s how technology helps them manage their Type 2 diabetes:

• Direct messaging can help get quick answers from providers: Hare says that the direct messaging feature for his doctor allows him to get a response for certain important issues within 24 hours, “which is invaluable,” he says.

• Quick support may help prevent medical emergencies: During one incident, Nurse’s blood sugar levels were off, and she was able to text her doctor, who instructed her to go to urgent care. “If I wasn’t able to reach out to my doctor to get a handle on what was going on with my body, then I [could] have ended up in a diabetic coma,” she says.

• Smartwatches often provide incentives to encourage you to stay active and can track aspects of health: Hare explains that his smartwatch will buzz each hour to remind him to stand or walk. “It gives me a reward when I’ve hit 7,500 steps,” he says.

• Online medical records may help you feel more in control of your health: Both Hare and Nurse say that they’re able to look back at their A1C and fasting glucose levels over time. “Now that I have access to all of my numbers, I feel so responsible,” Nurse says.

You can read more about Nikki’s experience with Type 2 diabetes here, and Roger’s experience with Type 2 diabetes here.

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Alexandra Schwarz, MD

Alexandra Schwarz, MD, is a board-eligible sleep medicine physician and a board-certified family medicine physician. She is a member of both the AASM and the ABFM.

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