The majority of clinical care for the over 30 million people in the U.S. with diabetes occurs in primary care. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large proportion of these visits have been converted to telemedicine. In this session, we will discuss several critical barriers to effective and equitable diabetes care through telehealth, including the lack of training and resources for clinicians to engage in effective diabetes prevention and management through telemedicine. Lack of access to telemedicine for patients with hearing or vision impairment and access to telemedicine for patients with lower income and educational achievement who have less access to smartphones, video-enabled computers, and reliable internet access.
We will also cover strategies to address these barriers to help patients maintain control of diabetes by reviewing evidence-based, cost-effective methods to optimize diabetes care using telehealth, and provide a real-world example from an academic medical center that successfully transformed its diabetes management program to telehealth. Discussing efforts to transform the National Diabetes Prevention Program to a virtual format, and how this provides important lessons for conducting effective distance learning to initiate and sustain healthy lifestyle change. And finally, by discussing how general internists can transform their practice to minimize health disparities that may be caused by telemedicine, including appropriate training in telehealth for healthcare providers, waivers or financial support for patients in need, digital literacy training and technical support available for patients and their families and caregivers, community outreach to expand access to needed technology, and advocacy for systemic change.

CEU Available: 1.0 CME; 1.0 MOC
CEU Expires: April 30, 2024

To receive CME/MOC credit, you must (a) watch the video and (b) complete the short assessment. After these two steps are completed, you will receive a certificate.