Associate Professor Lynne Chepulis and Dr Hamish Crocket from the University of Waikato. Photo: Supplied / University of Waikato
A "fair" nationwide rollout involving "deliberate effort" is needed to ensure newly funded glucose monitors and insulin pumps are reaching all New Zealanders who have type 1 diabetes, a senior health researcher says.
Pharmac began funding a range of continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps and other equipment for people with type 1 diabetes in October. The system automatically adjusts the amount of insulin its user receives based on their blood glucose levels.
The "life-changing [and] life-saving technology" had "huge benefits" for people who might not otherwise have access to these technologies, University of Waikato lecturer Hamish Crocket said.
However, the problem of inequitable healthcare access persisted even when treatments and technologies were funded, he said.
"International literature shows that minority ethnic groups and people with lower socioeconomic status are the least likely to get access in the first few years of public funding."
Crocket is the co-leader of a three-year, $1.4 million project to address inequities experienced by Māori and Pacific people with type 1 diabetes, as well as lower socioeconomic groups and adolescents.
A continuous glucose monitor lets users test their blood sugar with a scanner or phone. Photo: 123RF
Māori and Pacific people were less likely to have type 1 diabetes than non-Maori and non-Pasifika but those who did, suffered more severely, he said.
"Their glucose levels are worse and access to treatment and technology are worse, and the rates of complications are worse.
"These technologies, particularly automated insulin delivery, shows the biggest levels of improvement is achieved by those struggling with manual diabetes treatment - yet global literature shows they are usually the last to get treatment and that's why we need an equity focus."
The three-year project would identify what barriers people faced, and look for ways to reduce them, Crocket said.
Researchers would look at factors such as glucose levels and hospitalisation rates as of October 2024 (when funding started) and compare those baseline measurements over the next two-and-a-half years.
"We will look at whether glucose levels have improved and whether hospitalisation rates have decreased. If there's a differences what role has access to technology played in those differences?"
The research team would also use National Health Index data to create a cohort of all people with type 1 diabetes and connect prescription data to show uptake of funded CGMs and insulin pumps. The current Virtual Diabetes Register does not differentiate between people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, despite them needing very different treatment.
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