A virtual clinic for the management of diabetes-type 1: study protocol for a randomised wait-list controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a serious chronic disease. Medical treatment and good psychosocial support are needed to cope with acute and long-term effects of diabetes. Self-management is a large part of diabetes management, with healthcare providers playing a supportive role. Young adults with type 1 diabetes are of special interest as they tend to have higher mean glycosylated haemoglobin values than other patients with type 1 diabetes, and they often miss visits in traditional diabetes care. A well-designed virtual solution may improve a range of measures (e.g. glycaemic control and perceived health) and reduce hospitalisations. METHOD: This randomised controlled trial with a control group using a wait list design will recruit 100 young adults from a hospital in Sweden. All participants will receive usual diabetes care besides the virtual clinic. The primary objective is to evaluate the effect of a virtual diabetes clinic on glycaemic control, treatment satisfaction and quality of life in young adults (aged 18–25 years) with type-1 diabetes. The secondary objective is to determine the effects of virtual care on the patient experience. DISCUSSION: Virtual tools are becoming increasingly common in healthcare; however, it remains unclear if these tools improve diabetes self-management. The results of this study will build understanding of how healthcare providers can use a virtual clinic to improve diabetes self-management. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current controlled trials: ISRCTN, number: 73435627, registered 23 October 2019. 10.1186/ISRCTN73435627