Technophobia, prescription checking and the future of diabetes management

Abstract

Is the medical prescription the root cause of the long-term complications of diabetes mellitus? This article presents the argument for introducing prescription checking into diabetes disease management. It discusses an evidence-based need for frequent revisions of the medical prescription as the key to preventing treatment-related complications in diabetes while achieving the now mandated standards in patient care. To do this it will be prudent for diabetes healthcare providers to enrich their clinical services with new information technology-based tools. These are easily acquired by participating in professional workshops focused on advanced diabetes management. In this light, the case presented here challenges leading practitioners to become early participants in the evolution of information technology that will ultimately enhance the management of all patients with diabetes. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.