Within the population of India, 11.4% are affected by diabetes and an additional 15.3% have pre-diabetes, as shown by the study titled “Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17)”. This requires urgent action through comprehensive strategies. Use of technology in addressing the burden of metabolic conditions and its use for public education can be a cost effective and swift way forward with longer-lasting impacts.
The Diabetes Technology Trust of India has published a position statement [1] emphasising the use of advanced technologies not only for individualised treatment and care, but beyond that.
Technology can play a crucial role in educating the public and in behavior modification. Public education through leveraging digital platforms and community engagement can be assistive in prevention of diabetes and its complications.
To be successful, technology solutions should be designed in a user-centered way with cultural sensitivity, and appropriate level of accessibility.
Collaboration among stakeholders is very important to drive innovation, ensure regulatory compliance, and integrate technology into healthcare systems. It is important for solutions to be rooted in a multi-stakeholder, bottom-up approach. Stakeholders include people with or at risk of diabetes so that their perspectives and needs can be built into the design and development process for improved outcomes.
Across the globe, developed countries are increasingly using technology-based solutions for driving impact.
Studies continue to pour in from the developed countries, showcasing the benefits of technology in health education. Developing nations ought to acknowledge culturally tailored technological initiatives as imperative solutions to the challenges arising from their vast and diverse populations and resource constraints.
Advocacy Action: Urge your elected representatives to think of technology as a tool to solve today’s most pressing issue of educating the public about their health – not only can this be cost and time effective, while being less labour intensive, it holds the potential of delivering sustainable change.
[1] Journal of Diabetology 14(4):p 183-185, October-December 2023. | DOI: 10.4103/jod.jod_59_23