Virtual diabetes care
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to deliver virtual care for patients across Ontario, including people with chronic diseases like diabetes. Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) partnered with OSSU through a ‘roundtable’ discussion to elicit ideas from diverse stakeholders, including patients, on how to advance patient-centered complex disease management in Ontario via virtual care. Participants from the discussion suggested several issues that needed closer application, including:
- Addressing health inequities within a virtual care model, with a focus on access, social determinants of health and tailored care for individual needs
- Engaging patients in designing effective virtual care models
- Using data to monitor and evaluate
- Leveraging existing services and infrastructure
Healthcare providers, organizations, patients and others have adapted quickly to the seismic shift of how care is delivered because of COVID-19. The roundtable confirmed that there is a huge opportunity to develop and strengthen virtual care models and delivery to support people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes in Ontario.
Find the full report here.