Sensors normalize school and social life for children with diabetes
Sensor technology, which increases the quality of life of children with diabetes, offers great convenience, especially for school-aged students. Thanks to this technology, which allows children with type 1 diabetes to constantly monitor their glucose levels, children can adapt to their daily lives more easily. Families can also manage their children’s school processes without worrying about their health. Emphasizing that sensors are the most important development in diabetes management after the discovery of insulin, Prof. Dr. Şükrü Hatun, Head of the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes at Koç University School of Medicine and President of the Diabetic Children’s Foundation, states that sensor technology, which constantly monitors glucose, positively affects both children’s health outcomes and educational success.
Sensor technology, which has come into play in making diabetes management comfortable for school-age children and has broken new ground in diabetes management, provides the opportunity to instantly track daily glucose levels. This helps students with Type 1 diabetes focus better on their studies and continue their daily activities without interruption. Stating that sensors help students ‘master’ diabetes management by increasing their self-confidence, Prof. Dr. Şükrü Hatun listed the benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) for school-age children.
Stating that sensors are the most important development affecting the life and health of people with Type 1 diabetes after the discovery of insulin, Prof. Dr. Şükrü Hatun explained the reason for this claim with the following words; “Sensors provide glucose information two hundred and eighty-eight times a day, which allows for decision-making two hundred and eighty-eight times, monitoring the course of glucose, predicting glucose lows and highs that may negatively affect daily life, and taking precautions accordingly. Sensors also show the effects of food, exercise, and daily life events such as stress on glucose levels, improving the diabetes management knowledge of children with Type 1 diabetes and their relatives. In this way, it allows them to better understand the language of diabetes and to ‘master’ this area. When looked at from these perspectives, school-age children are among those who will benefit the most from sensors. Since sensors offer the opportunity for remote monitoring, families can safely send their children to school and thus get rid of fears and worries.”
“In addition, thanks to the easy and frequent glucose measurement provided by the sensors, families can collaborate effectively without burdening teachers and school nurses. When we look at it from the perspective of children, thanks to the alarms that notify them of low glucose levels in advance, they can avoid low glucose events that negatively affect their participation in classes, they can easily measure their glucose before and after meals and give additional doses to their insulin if necessary. In addition, thanks to the sensors, they feel safe during physical education classes and sports competitions at school and can take the necessary precautions without any problems. Studies conducted on the subject show that when teachers and school nurses support the use of sensors, parents feel better psychosocially, children have better glycemic results and school staff also feel safe.”
