Kaitlyn D’Onofrio

DocwireNews

A group of Twitter users with type 1 diabetes is leveraging the social media platform to share information on managing the disease with a do-it-yourself (DIY)&nbsp;open source artificial pancreas systems&nbsp;(OpenAPS), according to a study published in the&nbsp;Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.&nbsp;Researchers analyzed data from Twitter conversations among 328 patients, caregivers, and care partners who posted a total of 3,347 tweets over a two-year period containing the hashtag #OpenAPS. The overarching theme, according to the study, is that&nbsp;OpenAPS&nbsp;changes lives.&nbsp;Open source artificial pancreas systems is a DIY combination of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and&nbsp;older-style&nbsp;insulin pumps that allows these two devices to communicate with one another, making management easier for diabetes patients. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a hybrid of these two devices in 2017, but the diabetes community was ahead of the game, researchers found.&nbsp;The other five themes of the #OpenAPS&nbsp;trend researchers noted were:&nbsp;<ol>
<li>OpenAPS use suggests self-reported A1C and glucose variability improvement&nbsp;</li>
<li>OpenAPS&nbsp;improves sense of diabetes burden and quality of life&nbsp;</li>
<li>OpenAPS&nbsp;is perceived as safe&nbsp;</li>
<li>Patient/caregiver&ndash;provider interaction related to&nbsp;OpenAPS&nbsp;</li>
<li>Technology adaptation for user needs&nbsp;</li>
</ol>&ldquo;As users of a patient-driven technology,&nbsp;OpenAPS&nbsp;users are self-reporting improved A1C, day-to-day glucose levels, and quality of life,&rdquo; the study authors wrote. &ldquo;Safety features important to individuals with diabetes are perceived to be embedded into&nbsp;OpenAPS&nbsp;technology.&rdquo;&nbsp;The most obvious drawback to the DIY&nbsp;OpenAPS&nbsp;is that it&rsquo;s neither approved nor regulated by the FDA. Patients do not need a prescription to make it, so they do not have to consult with a professional about it. And the &ldquo;hacked&rdquo; insulin pump is no longer sold through the manufacturer, creating an opening in the black market for used items.&nbsp;&ldquo;There are some unknowns about this type of technology,&rdquo;&nbsp;said study author Dr. Michelle&nbsp;Litchman. &ldquo;While there are obvious benefits to many people who are using&nbsp;OpenAPS, there are some areas that may be concerning.&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/docwire-pick/diabetes-associated-higher-cancer-risk/">Read about the link between cancer and diabetes.</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/docwire-pick/whole-grains-type-2-diabetes/">Read about the effect whole grains has on risk of type 2 diabetes.</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://proddocwire.wpengine.com/docwire-pick/future-of-medicine-picks/diabetes-surgery-in-a-pill-replace-gastric-bypass/">Read about the pill that could replace gastric bypass surgery for diabetes patients.</a>&nbsp;Sources:&nbsp;<a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1932296818795705">Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-09/uouh-ftc090518.php">EurekAlert</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/diabetes-twitter-openaps/">Futurism</a>&nbsp;

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A group of Twitter users with type 1 diabetes is leveraging the social media platform to share information on managing the disease with a do-it-yourself (DIY) open source ...

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