Project summary
Closed loop technology holds the potential to transform diabetes management and outcomes for people with type 2 who use insulin. But so far, studies testing the technology have mainly involved White people and those with higher incomes. Dr Boughton will address this by testing closed loop systems with a more diverse and representation population. She’ll interview people from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds, along with healthcare professionals, to explore their experiences and develop tailored information and support. This will help to make sure people from all backgrounds can benefit from this technology in the future.
Background to research
Closed loop systems combine an insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that talk to each other to automate insulin delivery. There’s lots of evidence showing this tech can be transformative for people with type 1 diabetes. Early studies have also shown the tech holds huge promise to benefit people with type 2 diabetes. But most of the participants in these studies were White and from higher income backgrounds.
People from ethnic minority or low-income backgrounds are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes and to need insulin as people from White and wealthier backgrounds. But when these groups are underrepresented in research, the findings might not apply to them. This can contribute to unequal access and use of new technologies in the NHS. Dr Boughton’s research aims to prevent these inequities in a potential future roll out of closed loop tech for people with type 2.
Research aims
Dr Boughton and team are running the first large-scale clinical trial of closed loop tech for people with type 2 diabetes. This will be essential to build the evidence needed to offer this type of technology to people with type 2 in the future. The team will work hard to make sure the participants they recruit reflect the full diversity of people living with type 2.
With our funding, they’ll interview people taking part in the trial from ethnic minority or low-income backgrounds, to understand their experiences of using the tech and any benefits or challenges specific to these groups.
They’ll also speak to healthcare professionals who have supported participants in the trial. From this, they’ll develop a culturally sensitive training package for healthcare professionals. This will help ensure that people with type 2 from diverse backgrounds are offered tailored, appropriate information and support – empowering them to use the tech.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
People from ethnic minority or low-income backgrounds are less likely to access and use diabetes tech. Dr Boughton’s research hopes to make sure these unfair and unacceptable inequities are avoided in the potential future roll out of closed loop tech for people with type 2 diabetes, so it can be accessed by everyone who needs it.
