Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Paediatric endocrinology and diabetes research is focused on diabetes technologies including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, and their impact on patients, families and on service delivery. The group is a multi-disciplinary network that cares for a variety of complex chronic disorders at a tertiary level. Key partnerships include Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick (SCH), with cross-appointed staff, and the University of Sydney. There is also a strong collaboration with adult diabetes and endocrine services at RNSH.
Focus on rare inherited form of diabetes A current research collaboration that involves Sydney Children’s Hospital and adult endocrinology is a project that assesses glycaemic abnormalities in patients with mature onset diabetes of the young, type 2 (MODY-2). This rare inherited form of diabetes leads to life-long mild hyperglycaemia but without the microvascular damage to eyes and kidneys that usually accompany diabetes. In this research collaboration, the team is assessing continuous glucose monitoring results in these patients. The project may determine safe glycaemic thresholds that could form targets for use in other forms of diabetes, as current targets are based on healthy individuals and attempting to target these levels often results in unacceptable hypoglycaemia in patients with diabetes. Research into new diabetes technology As an example of the translation of the work done by the paediatric endocrinology and diabetes research team, the SENSORS project was a timely assessment of the impact of the introduction of a national subsidy for continuous glucose monitoring on patient health, satisfaction and departmental resources. These important data were presented at the prestigious Advanced Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics Meeting in Berlin and later published in the journal of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians Paediatrics Division (JPCH). The project demonstrated that patient and family expectation of sensor technology was high (as were satisfaction levels in the short term), and that there was an improvement in patients’ glycaemic control, but that the technology required considerable staff resources from the endocrinology department. This project led to the launch of major ongoing diabetes technology research within the department, which will attempt to ensure these technologies deliver optimal outcomes to patients and families.
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