Nursing student leveraging technology to focus on patients
While enrolled in a program at Georgian College to earn her nursing degree, 20-year-old Tori Lowe is gaining experience in health care through part-time work as a personal support worker (PSW) at a long-term care facility in Barrie, Ontario – the Bob Rumball Home for the Deaf.
The work is difficult and often high-pressure, and her hours are so filled with activities that Ms. Lowe often finds it difficult to find time to eat.
The pressures are amplified by the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, and through it all, Ms. Lowe also needs to manage her glucose (sugar) levels because she has type 1 diabetes. That task is about to get much easier, she says, because she is upgrading to a Medtronic self-adjusting insulin pump system.1
“When we have a COVID-19 outbreak, the residents are confined to their rooms. To safely enter to serve meals and provide other care, I need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) – a gown, gloves, mask and face shield,” says Ms. Lowe.
Checking her glucose levels with her current flash monitor requires her to use her smartphone to scan a sensor on her arm to get a reading. But when Ms. Lowe is with a patient and layered in PPE, she cannot easily perform that task. And because the monitor isn’t from Medtronic and isn’t connected to her insulin pump, she has to manually adjust her insulin, which is also challenging covered in PPE.
“It’s tough but rewarding. These people need somebody to care for them, and I am glad I’m in a position to bring some brightness into their day.”
Ms. Lowe was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of six, and for the first year or so, her parents administered her insulin manually through multiple daily injections. Ms. Lowe started using a Medtronic insulin pump more than six years ago and is in the process of upgrading to the MiniMedTM 770G insulin pump system, with features that will make it easier for her to focus on her patients instead of her diabetes.
The system works by personalizing and automating the delivery of basal insulin, the background insulin present in your body 24 hours a day. Automated basal insulin delivery decreases the level of patient interaction needed, which can enhance quality of life and help alleviate the mental burden associated with the constant management of blood glucose levels throughout the day and night.
This automation works to maximize “Time in Range,” which is the time blood glucose levels stay within a predefined target range. It’s the highs (hyperglycemia) and lows (hypoglycemia) out of range that can cause serious harm, which is why it’s so important to try to avoid them. Because the MiniMed 770G has smartphone connectivity, users and their health-care providers can easily view data on their glucose measurements in real-time and from the last 90 days. This data helps with creating a personalized diabetes management plan.
Ms. Lowe is confident in her choice to stick with Medtronic because of the many features of the new system. Another reason she is confident is what she calls the “outstanding customer service.”
On one occasion, Ms. Lowe needed support on the eve of a planned camping trip. She contacted Medtronic, which provides 24-7 telephone and online support. “It was the middle of the night, and they addressed my concern right away,” she says. “I appreciate their empathy, reliability, and how they make it easy to upgrade to the latest technology.”
Having the self-adjusting insulin pump system will help Ms. Lowe to pursue her career goals by not letting her feel held back by the complexities of managing her diabetes. “I feel strongly about continuing to work in the long-term care facility, especially at this time of the pandemic,” she says.
“It’s tough but rewarding. These people need somebody to care for them, and I am glad I’m in a position to bring some brightness into their day.”
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To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Diabetes - Today and Tomorrow