Improving access to diabetes technologies in children and young people with type 1 diabetes: Healthcare professionals' perspectives and views

Abstract

Aims: To understand and explore the strategies, resources, and interventions healthcare professionals are implementing, or recommend implementing, to promote more equitable access to diabetes technology amongst children and young people (CYP) with type 1 diabetes in the UK. Methods: Interviews were conducted with (n = 29) healthcare professionals working in paediatric diabetes in England from (n = 15) purposively selected sites. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Healthcare professionals reported many strategies to help address diabetes technology access disparities in CYP, structured under the following themes: ‘Re-evaluating staff levels, roles, and efficiency’; ‘Improving communication’; ‘Promoting peer support and community outreach’; ‘Providing financial and social support for deprived CYP/caregivers’; ‘Encouraging CYP/caregiver choice;’ and ‘Funding, sustainability, and burnout.’ Many of these strategies appeared to be local (e.g., site-specific) solutions, made possible by short-term, one-off funding schemes and innovation by individual team members. While some proposed strategies appeared to improve staff time-efficiencies allowing greater numbers of CYPs to be moved onto technology, others, as interviewees noted, could add to individual team members' workloads and stress. Conclusions: Healthcare professionals appeared highly committed to addressing technology access disparities in CYP. While some of their recommendations may be easier to implement than others, our findings underscore the importance of adopting a joined-up, integrated approach to promoting equitable technology access across the UK. This would require closer collaboration and resource-sharing within and across sites, backed by sustainable, long-term funding, with a significant portion dedicated to increasing staffing capacity to support the practical implementation of these strategies.