Background:
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) clearly demonstrated the importance of lowering HbA1c values by intensive diabetes management in order to reduce the progression of long-term diabetes complications. The DCCT trial also showed that adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) less often reached the metabolic targets.
More frequent contact with the clinic can improve glycemic control. During the DCCT, the intervention group had their HbA1c evaluated every month, compared to every 3 months in the conventional group, and the intervention group also had frequent contact with their health care providers. Such an increased personal contact is usually not considered feasible from the point of view of both the patients and the diabetologists.
One possibility to intensify the communication between chronically ill patients and the clinic without increasing the time which patients spent at the clinics and the clinical workload of caregivers is by telemedicine (TM), the use of remote communication between patients and a health care center. TM has been shown to improve glycemic control in adult patients with T1DM.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to evaluate whether telemedical support is feasible in adolescents with T1DM and if it could improve their glycemic control.
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