Diabetes and Technology in Romania: A Patient’s Perspective

Professional medical care in the case of diabetes is of utmost importance to ensure patient health, compliance, and comfort. In the past decades, the emergence of healthcare medical devices has also brought important advancements in diabetology. However, this also raised new provocations for patients and healthcare professionals as well, regarding the acceptance, use, and contentment of sensors and pumps in the everyday lives of diabetic patients. The present study aimed to bring more evidence into the possibilities and pitfalls of these medical devices by interrogating 185 diabetic patients through online questionnaires from Romania. The results revealed that the medical devices can complement traditional medical care, and pre-, post-prandial, and nighttime glycemia can be more precisely achieved. Patients have also reported that the sensors and pumps can augment their daily decision-making about glycemic control and ease their daily routine. Contrariwise, the use of these medical devices is related to comfortlessness during sleeping and physical activity. Researchers acknowledge that patients' information, education, and diabetes management, through the opinion of the patients, can augment patient-focused decision-making in the daycare of diabetic patients.