Diabetes Dialogue: Improving Implementation of New Technology, with Cari Berget, RN, MPH

Often in medicine, advancements in pharmacologic therapies or technologies are lauded as practice-changing and groundbreaking before clinicians have a chance to use them in real-world settings. Ask almost any clinician and they will admit, getting approval is only one of many steps to becoming a staple in treatment algorithms for patients and management of diabetes is a prime example.

In diabetes, technological advancement has outpaced real-world uptake of these new technologies, which trials and studies have purported could improve management and reduce adverse outcomes. This need for education and better understanding of implementation strategies for new diabetes technology is part of what led to the creation of HCPLive Endocrinology’s flagship podcast: Diabetes Dialogue: Technology, Therapeutics, & Real-World Perspectives.

Hosted by Diana Isaacs, PharmD, an endocrine clinical pharmacist, director of Education and Training in Diabetes Technology, and codirector of Endocrine Disorders in Pregnancy at the Cleveland Clinic, and Natalie Bellini, DNP, program director of Diabetes Technology at University Hospitals Diabetes and Metabolic Care Center, the podcast is aimed at providing a regular roundup of the latest clinically applicable insights across diabetes and metabolic diseases, with a focus on leveraging technology to improve care.

During their time on-site at the 83rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA 2023), Isaacs and Bellini recorded more than half a dozen episodes featuring special guests and key opinion leaders to discuss the latest developments in multiple areas of diabetes management, including obesity management, mental health, podiatry, and social determinants of health. In keeping with the podcast theme, our hosts also had an extended discussion around the application of new diabetes technologies with Cari Berget, RN, MPH, a registered nurse and certified diabetes care and education specialist at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes within the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Berget also serves as the director of the PANTHER program, which is a program created by leading experts aimed at leveraging their own experiences with diabetes technology to disseminate information and best practices to others in the field.

“We get to use these devices for so long, sometimes during trials before they come to clinical practice, and gain all this experience and knowledge,” explained Berget, when discussing the origins of the PANTHER Program. “[Now], we want to share this and get down to what is it you need to know for your clinical care. So, we created the PANTHER program as a way to try to help simplify diabetes technology for the clinician specifically.”

In the episode, Berget offers hosts perspective into a symposium she led at ADA 2023 titled "Demystifying Diabetes Device Data” as well as a breakdown of the PANTHER program and the current slate of resource offerings available for clinicians.

Relevant disclosures for Dr. Isaacs include Eli Lilly and Company, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Abbott Diabetes Care, Dexcom, Medtronic, and others. Relevant disclosures for Dr. Bellini include Abbott Diabetes Care, MannKind, Provention Bio, and others. Relevant disclosures for Berget include Insulet Corporation, Dexcom, Inc., and Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc.

References:

1. About Us. PANTHER Program. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://www.pantherprogram.org/.
2. Cari Berget, MPH, RN, CDE Research Instructor, pediatrics-Barbara Davis center. Faculty Profile | School of Medicine | University of Colorado Denver. Accessed June 26, 2023. https://som.cuanschutz.edu/Profiles/Faculty/Profile/21188.