TOPLINE:

Over 1 year, video consultations for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) treated with insulin pumps resulted in no meaningful change in time in range compared with standard in-person visits; however, patients who received video consultations reported better treatment satisfaction and lower A1c levels but poorer diabetes-specific quality of life.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers in Denmark conducted a randomised controlled trial that compared year‑long video consultations with standard in‑person care among 76 patients with T1D (median age, 49 years; 51% women) treated with insulin pumps.
• Patients who were using insulin pumps for at least 6 months were randomly assigned to receive either video consultations or standard in-person care for 52 weeks; 32 patients in the video consultation group and 31 in the control group completed the study.
• The primary outcome was the percentage of time in range (glucose levels, 3.9-10.0 mmol/L) measured during weeks 51-52, requiring sensor data to be active ≥ 70% of the time for 14 days.
• Secondary outcomes included treatment satisfaction (measured using the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire), quality of life (determined using Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life 19), and glycaemic management metrics.

TAKEAWAY:

• At 52 weeks, no clinically meaningful difference in time in range was observed between the video consultation and standard care groups; the difference was 0.8 percentage points (P = .25), well below the pre-specified 10% threshold.
• The video consultation group reported higher treatment satisfaction but a worsening of diabetes‑specific quality of life.
• A1c levels were lower in the video consultation group than in the standard care group, with a mean difference of -2.01 mmol/mol (P < .001).
• Serious adverse events occurred in three patients: two in the video consultation group (one had diabetic ketoacidosis, and one had hypoglycaemia) and one in the standard care group, who had hypoglycaemia.

IN PRACTICE:

"To the best of our knowledge, it seems fair to assume that changing some of the consultations from in-person to video might be possible while still providing sufficient glycaemic management and possibly increasing treatment satisfaction," the authors wrote. 

SOURCE:

The study was led by Anders N.Ø. Schultz, University Hospital of Southern Denmark, Aabenraa, Denmark. It was published online on November 07, 2025, in Diabetologia.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited by its small sample size. Adults with T1D treated with insulin pumps were recruited from a regional outpatient clinic, limiting the generalisability of the findings. Data on ethnicity were not collected.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by Knud and Edith Eriksens Mindefond. The lead author received funding from the Region of Southern Denmark and Hospital Sønderjylland as part of a PhD project. The authors reported having no relationships or activities that might have biased their work.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.