Managing patients with T1DM who fast Ramadan is challenging. The COVID-19 related strict imposed curfew in Saudi Arabia affected access to healthcare and made virtual education (VD) a necessity.

Objective: To assess the impact of VD on glycemic control and self-management in T1DM during Ramadan fasting.

Methods: Pre-post Ramadan survey at endocrine clinics of National Guards Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients were contacted by phone due to COVID 19 restrictions. The VD methods (video + booklet) were sent to patients via WhatsApp. HbA1c was measured before and after Ramadan.

Results: 89 patients enrolled: 51.2% males, DM duration 13.8 ±7.7 years, age 24.4 ±8.1 years. > 90% stated that VD used was well done/acceptable, and 57% confirmed using it as reference. During Ramadan 88% complied with frequent SMBG, 72.6% reported breaking the fast at the recommended threshold of <70mg/dl, but only 22.6% broke fasting if >300 mg/dL. 61% followed the recommended insulin adjustments to basal and sahoor doses, and to adjustment of meal timings (delay of sahoor), and fluid intake. 43% complied with eating proteins at sahoor. Baseline HbA1c 8.46 ±1.85 and decreased to 8.32 ±1.47 after the intervention process (P=0.004).

Conclusion: Diabetes virtual education was well received and improved glycemic control and self-care among patients with T1DM during Ramadan fasting.

Disclosure

G. S. Khogeer: None. R. Alamoudi: None. M. N. Alotibi: None.

© 2021 by the American Diabetes Association
2021
Readers may use this article as long as the work is properly cited, the use is educational and not for profit, and the work is not altered. More information is available at http://www.diabetesjournals.org/content/license.