The month of May has turned into a scheduling mess. Several members of the Integrated Diabetes Services’ clinical team, including me, have been called upon to work on two separate “human factors” studies, one involving an insulin pump and another involving an insulin adjustment algorithm. Thank goodness we have awesome teammates who can step in and pick up the slack so that none of our clients falls through the cracks. You might be asking, “What the heck is a human factors study”? To put it bluntly, it is to make sure that equipment designed by engineers in a lab can be used safely and effectively by non-lab-dwelling-engineers. I have nothing against engineers (my father was one, and I inherited many of his nerdy traits), but they don’t always think like the people they are designing products for. And before any medical device can be approved by the government for sale to the public, it must pass a stringent series of usability tests. The IDS team is often called upon to provide input on product design and to train study subjects during the product evaluations. Why? Because we can offer perspective as both healthcare professionals (with over 150 years of combined experience) and people living with diabetes who actually USE the devices (for more than 220 years combined). We know that the needs and abilities of users have to come first when designing (or using) any new product. The same applies to diabetes self-management training: Nothing takes place until we get to know you and your wants and needs. We are not employed by any company; our only “bosses” are our clients. If you would like an impartial look at what is new and exciting in the world of diabetes devices, please reach out. We would be delighted to share our expertise and perspective so that you can decide what is best for you. Call 610-642-6055 or send an email to info@integrateddiabetes.com to schedule. I hope you find this month’s edition of Diabetes Bites informative and entertaining. Your feedback and suggestions are always appreciated. Feel free to email me directly at gary@integrateddiabetes.com with any comments. Here’s to the “human” side of diabetes care! Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Owner, Clinical Director
Ready to take your child’s Diabetes care to the next level? Schedule a talk with our team. We offer remote Diabetes Management, or if you’re looking for an in-person diabetes educator near Philadelphia, visit our office in Wynnewood, PA.
Gary Scheiner MS, CDCES
Owner, Clinical Director
