Photo Credit: FREDERICK
The following is a summary of “Bio-artificial pancreas to treat type 1 diabetes: Perspectives from healthcare professionals in the Netherlands,” published in the December 2024 issue of Journal of Clinical & Translational Endocrinology by Jongh et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine healthcare professionals’ perspectives on the potential clinical implementation of the bio-artificial pancreas (BAP) for individuals with type 1 diabetes and appropriate target groups.
They performed semi-structured interviews with 17 healthcare professionals, including endocrinologists, nurses, and pancreas transplant surgeons. Data collection ended once saturation was achieved. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis was performed using an inductive approach to identify themes within a coding framework.
The results showed 3 main themes: expected benefits, including improved clinical outcomes, greater normalcy, reduced mental burden for patients and their families, increased societal participation, and lower costs; concerns, such as safety, effectiveness, unequal access, information accuracy, self-management control, and organizational challenges; and BAP allocation during initial implementation, focusing on prioritizing individuals without effective treatment options, those with mental health issues, and vulnerable groups.
Investigators concluded that the results were important for BAP developers and implementers to align its design and clinical implementation process with healthcare professionals’ perspectives.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214623724000437
