The Dario folks

When roughly 3,000 diabetes wellness professionals and 189 exhibitors convened in business district Indianapolis for the 2017 annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) last calendar week, our team was moral in the fray.

Three-thousand attendees may seem a small subsection of AADE's total 14,700 members, just information technology's important to line that certified diabetes educators (CDEs) often rotate their period of time attendance, and the middle of the U.S. often draws a smaller push than the coastwise venues.

Anyhow, I'm snot-nosed to report that I atomic number 27-presented a seance on "Diabetes Technology in the Wild" alongside fulmination technology editor and fellow T1D advocate Adam Brown. We muffled everything from how patients share and learn active new tools from each other along social media (hello, basic tutorials! And Tumblrbetics! etc, etc.) to realistic tips and tricks for acquiring the most out of CGM use (that was whol X). Our Sabbatum morning session was a crowded house, and we got unthinkable feedback from many attendees eagre to learn more about the #DOC (Diabetes Online Residential area) you said it it might help them and their patients.

But what possibly made me most happy and proud was eyesight such a powerful lineup of sessions application mixer media, match support, the DOC particularly, appendage wellness tools, and even the DIY/Open Author movement, with D-discoverer Dana Lewis herself giving an hour-long talk connected the homespun closed loop #OpenAPS system.

The opening keynote was on embrace Digital Health, a DSMA Live school term was recorded on-site, and a inexperienced Chirrup Lounge happening the exhibit dormitory floor offered CDEs hands-on help getting started with tweeting.

Indefinite of the biggest news announcements at this show was Welldoc launching a collaboration with AADE called the Digital Diabetes Health Learning Network — in which selected leading AADE members will "develop best practices for using engineering science to father affected role data to better population health."

All this is a far cry from where the AADE was on recognizing the significance of social media and the "ePatient gyration" simply a few short years agone.

Did I mention that this year's event subject was "Energetic Change and Design" (with a nod to the racing scene in Indy)? Not sure the AADE can call themselves a driver just yet, but they're along their manner…

Last Fall, they hired a new head of technology and innovation, Crystal Broj, WHO's kicked soured a number of programs including a Workgroup on Engineering science and a new tech training program for CDEs titled iData, on with an AADE-DOC Collaboration Workgroup, some of which Hug dru and I are part of. Among other things, the Technical school Workgroup is helping to support a new AADE certification program for diabetes apps, and the DOC group plans to meet up in Chicago this October to brainstorm how AADE and the Diabetes Online Community force out best collaborate for mutual profit. We'd love your input on that!

As to the annual meeting from Aug. 4-7, hither are our observations on standout talks and exposition floor activity:

#AADE17 Presentation Talk

* mHealth expert Chris Bergstrom, formerly of WellDoc, conferred the opening keynote to an enthusiastic crowd Sunday morning with the title "Let's Get Extremity." He talked about engineering science's crucial role in both treating and preventing diabetes, and called connected CDEs to "assume an active role in digital health" (!)

 *In a session called "Non-FDA Sanctioned Exposure Surveillance of Real-Time CGM Manipulation," Utah CDE Michelle Litchman presented a unique that study she LED, exploring the 21st century swerve dubbed "Infoveillance" — or how social media images can be used to pinpoint sincere-life story health care trends, as has been through with influenza and Ebola fever outbreaks globally. Litchman focused centralised on how patients wear their CGMs supported Instagram posts, and her group establish that 64% of individuals in their try were not wearing their Dexcom in an FDA-approved speckle on the body — which is fascinating. Just perhaps above all, Litchman is leading the way for social media-settled research distinguishing how PWDs (the great unwashe with diabetes) are faring in the real reality.

* There was a lot of discourse how "Words Matter" and the importance of positive thinking. A session along language by CDEs Jane Dickinson and others highlighted how important it is to use words that assume't alien certain patients, while an Sunday morning keynote by Alison Ledgerwood of UC Davis urged how important it is for diabetes educators to "retrain their brains" to focus on the positive rather than damaging sides of D-direction. A classic example is the ever-debated use of "sick" vs. "person with diabetes." While opinions may vary on this, many CDEs available were seen nodding agreed with the notion of using "empowering messages" with patients. That likewise came into play during talks on Mental Health and Health Literacy, important issues that present significant challenges for CDEs stressful to provide the best possible care.

* In one of some Roger Sessions on "Beyond A1C," the JDRF's Chief Mission Officer Aaron Kowalski explained how the org is lastly getting consensus around past measures that interest patients' lives and should be reasoned by researchers and health insurers when fashioning decisions. This has been a long process, involving the AADE, ADA, Food and Drug Administration, T1D ExChange, Gland High society and a number of separate D-leadership orgs. Form-only direction will represent published soon, and we'Re thrilled to report more details as this develops.

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* It never ceases to amaze how little we really know about diabetes itself, in this experts can't e'er figure proscribed what type someone actually has. That leads to so many heartbreaking and frustrating misdiagnosis stories. Amazingly, even now in 2017, LADA (operating theatre Potential Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults), often referred to as Type 1.5, isn't even officially recognized aside experts and nobelium clear management scheme exists. Information technology was also eye-opening to get a line that deadly DKA is oft the only path to distinguish between the types, when people point up in emergency rooms from very high blood sugars! And about rare forms of diabetes like MODY can only be identified by genetic testing. This all causes confusion and complicates the process of acquiring a correct diagnosing and proper plan of care.

#AADE17 Product Buzz

The exhibit hall at this educators' conference is e'er lower berth-key than at the giant ADA Knowledge domain Sessions in June, and there tends to be a bigger emphasis happening "modus vivendi" products like food for thought, lotions, dishware, and even comfy medical science place.

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That said, some breathtaking stuff we learned close to includes:

Afrezza inhaled insulin seemed to Be finally getting its fair part of attention and traction. Their early-morning Production Theater session led by famous CDE and source Gary Scheiner was standing-board only, and MannKind execs tells us their last-microscopical determination to host an exhibit kiosk at this year's meeting definitely paid off.

We personally overheard a lot of chatter about Afrezza among conference attendees, and our personal use of Afrezza inside the convention center hallways certainly kick-started conversations close to the inhaled Insulin.

Recent titillating developments for this company include:

  • their just-declared partnership with Indefinite Set down to kick off a randomized controlled trial investigating the purpose of Afrezza and One Drop's digital diabetes care platform.
  • sponsorship of the new reality TV serial "Converse" on the Discovery Life Groove.
  • sponsorship of a new diabetes "lifestyle network" from music mogul Dame Dash.

Ascensia Diabetes, successor to Acetylsalicylic acid, had a dynamic presence touting its Contour Next Link Meter as "the only FDA-approved meter for use with the Medtronic 630G and 670G systems." The booth and meter were getting superb attention – discolour coded on app and along test strip area shallow. What's cool close to this measure is the in-your-face color coding for BG results – green, yellow, red – that shows sprouted both on the partner phone app and right the meter itself. A little light clean adjacent to the exam strip port (called smartLIGHT Technology) glows to alert the user if their number is too high (old), too degraded (red), Oregon in-range (green).

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Likewise, Ascensia's next-generation easy-to-use lancing twist, the Microlet Next, was connected display and is set to set forth shipping with new meters soon. (Mite: you can already buy it at Walgreens). It's super compact, features a safety-lock endcap to prevent oopsies, and is supposed to be little bad. It too has a little lever unofficially to well eject used lancet needles, which we the like.

The Dario folk out of Israel were actually handing out unfreeze meters in their booth. Remember, this is the compress all-in-one arrangement that supported close to a bantam meter that plugs into smartphone jack. The lancing device and strips are all housed in a handy case that is in itself smaller that all but glucose meters. No kidding!

They likewise just got approval for the Android version of their app, and company reps tell us they'rhenium in talks with Glooko and possibly other partners to provide a full D-Data program to their customers soon. The metre is still solely available via direct sales from the company, but they're working rocklike to receive on drugstore shelves (and websites), we're told.

"Type 2.0 Research laboratory" was interesting crowdsourcing concept booth happening the demonstrate floor, where CDEs were asked to use an oversized touchscreen to vote on the most important features of an insulin therapy creature for T2s, and the results were being displayed in material-time. On further investigation, it turns out this was a programme by Bachelor of Divinity, to help them determine priorities for their product grapevine that now includes a new patch pump under development for T2 patients that they hope to launch in 2018 (discussed in last earnings call). The results of this on-site crowdsourcing won't be made public, of course, but we thought the concept was pretty darn clever.

Korean-based Arkray, makers of the affordable Glucocard and Assure Optical prism meters, seem to wealthy person been nether the radar for quite a spell. So their shining booth touting "NEW FORMULARY Convert!" was something of a surprise. Turns out they'Re focusing on underserved communities away becoming a contractile supplier for the so-known as "340B Prime Vendor Program" managed aside Apexus, which "provides discounted drugs and medical exam supplies to qualifying healthcare facilities to help vulnerable patients…"

A company exec explained expansively that they are getting great grip on the East Coast, and impermanent to expand nationwide.

Launching Soon, etc.

Also on hand, displaying cool new items set to hit the market soon were:

Aegle Palette – a new food tracking root that is essentially the world's 1st smart placemat. Earnestly, sensors in the placement link up to to the Palette app via Bluetooth, which then provides personalized intellectual nourishment recommendations and can institutionalize information to your physician as asymptomatic, thusly they can help analyze your diet choices. This is one of those things that could either be revolutionary or mostly unavailing depending on the scheme's accuracy and what benignant of "recommendations" users rear end expect.

DiabNEXT – the China and Beantown-based company creating a suite of diabetes tools based connected Artificial Intelligence agency (AI), is launching its Clipsulin pen information tracker in just a few months, we're told. They'ray also in discussions with Joslin Diabetes Center on setting up a study of their integration toolset.

Along the diabetes-friendly food front, we were impressed with unaccustomed AlluLite deep brown, made with natural Allulose lure; and Sola Foods that makes baking sweetener, plus a current line of granola and yogurt, all of which tasting amazing, at least in sample form! These are all purportedly ultra-low-carb, high-protein items that hit great choices for PWDs. We can't yet really address to their nutritional value or BG effect, but are hoping to poke into that soon J

And the 'Irony of the Show' award goes to… the Sugar Association exhibiting on the show shock, touting its commitment to "devising a difference aside continuously supporting scientific enquiry and sharing our noesis of kale to increase consumer reason and confidence in the role that sugar plays in a nutritious, well-balanced and enjoyable diet" —  not farthermost from the Abbott Freestyle "Know Your Gelt Tour" bus, a  off-road tour to raise awareness about the (ill) effects of sugar on the body.

Some folks were also miffed to see Cinsulin (a prominent cinnamon-vs.-blood sugar supplement) as a key sponsor of the AADE result this year.

Wellspring… nothing's errorless. And the #AADE17 program certainly delivered happening a number of other fronts.