COVID-19 and diabetes: health risks

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many familiar processes had to be adapted due to various restrictions and high workload on healthcare workers. In particular, to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection, remote patient care technologies have been used more frequently. This study aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions on access to free educational courses on diabetes, disease dynamics, and patient awareness of necessary treatment methods. Changes in patient satisfaction with online learning compared to traditional face-to-face formats were studied, as well as changes in medication adherence with regular education and consultations. The authors described possible reasons for changes in the effectiveness of education and proposed measures to optimize treatment processes and patient information in Russia. The study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decrease in patient participation in educational programs on diabetes. This could have been due to fear of infection, lack of awareness of such programs, and socio-economic inequality.