Trial shows ‘high tech’ approaches help reduce diabetes-related complications

As global rates of diabetes escalate, a new computerised self-care system for people with Type 2 diabetes has been shown to significantly improve diabetes control and mental health-related quality of life, a global health expert will tell the APS Health Psychology Conference in Cairns this week.

Brian Oldenburg, Professor of International Public Health and Head of the Global Health and Society Unit at Monash University, says the Australian TLC Diabetes program is a ‘high tech’ system providing follow-up and support which enables people to self-manage their chronic diabetic condition.

It is estimated that 40 per cent of people with diabetes have poor glycaemic (blood sugar level) control, significantly increasing their risk of costly and debilitating diabetes-related complications. 

Professor Oldenburg says that on average a person with diabetes spends about six hours a year in the doctor’s office or with other health professionals, and 8,760 hours on their own monitoring blood sugar, taking insulin and other medications and managing diet, physical activity and stress.

“Living with diabetes and managing all of the required self-care is very stressful.  Many people struggle to maintain a routine that is optimum for their health,” Professor Oldenburg said.
“We know that with chronic conditions like diabetes there is a lot of evidence of increased risk of depression and anxiety. People experiencing significant levels of distress will often have poor self-management of their diabetes.”

Professor Oldenburg added, “We have found that as people gain greater control using the TLC system, their psychological health also increases.  Additionally, it is a means of screening people who could benefit from the intervention of a health psychologist.”

The Australian TLC Diabetes program is an automated and interactive, 24 hour telephone system designed to provide ‘virtual’ telephone encounters between people with diabetes and health professionals.  It uses new technology to send participants’ blood glucose results from a mobile phone to the computerised telephone system, and provides feedback on the results.  It also gives feedback and advice on diet, medications and daily exercise to assist in the control of diabetes.

The Brisbane-based trial showed the TLC program led to improvements in diabetes management, with significant benefits to mental health functioning and improved glycaemia control.  Maintained long term, such results could be expected to lead to important reductions in diabetes complications and mortality.

“We need to urgently develop new ways of helping individuals to more effectively self-manage their chronic conditions,” says Professor Oldenburg.

He added: “We are currently investigating ways of scaling up the Australian TLC Diabetes system to make it available to many thousands of Australians with diabetes. We also want to develop similar programs for other chronic conditions so that people can access these 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

An estimated 1 million Australians already have diabetes and worldwide there are almost 400 million people with diabetes.

Professor Oldenburg is keynote speaker at the APS Health Psychology Conference being held in Cairns on 5 – 6 April 2013.

Ends

Who are health psychologists? Health psychologists specialise in understanding the relationships between psychological factors (e.g. behaviours, attitudes, beliefs) and health and illness.

They specialise in developing education and behaviour change programs to help people to recover from or self-manage chronic illness, trauma, injury or disability.

Psychological treatments also reduce problems that can accompany and contribute to illness and injury, such as chronic pain, addiction, poor sleep, anxiety, depression and emotional reactions such as anger and grief.

Health psychologists help people to cope with the diagnosis and medical treatment of acute health problems and to facilitate medical care.

Visit http://www.groups.psychology.org.au/chp/2013conference/ to learn more about the Conference.

To discuss interview and story opportunities, contact the media team: Corinne McKinney: 03 8662 3301, Rebecca Matthews: 03 8662 3358 or the APS media mobile: 0435 896 444

Media email: media@psychology.org.au

Follow us on Twitter:  @APS_Media

The APS is the largest professional organisation for psychologists in Australia, representing more than 20,000 members. The APS is committed to advancing psychology as a discipline and profession. It spreads the message that psychologists make a difference to people’s lives, through improving psychological knowledge and community wellbeing.