Application of Automated Insulin Delivery in Korean Clinical Practice

In contrast to Europe and the United States (US), conventional insulin pumps have not been widely used in East Asia, even among people with type 1 diabetes. Clinical experiences in Europe and the US indicate that automated insulin delivery (AID) can successfully improve the quality of glucose control even in people with type 1 diabetes who do not have experience with conventional insulin pumps. Therefore, prior use of a conventional insulin pump was not a requirement for successful introduction of AID. However, use of AID still requires full understanding of conventional insulin pump management, and AID-specific education as well. Besides basic information on continuous glucose monitoring and conventional insulin pumps, people with type 1 diabetes starting AID should understand the difference between closed-loop and open-loop insulin delivery, should have reasonable expectations for AID, and should be motivated to engage in clinical follow-up to prevent discontinuation of the use of AID devices. Failure to provide AID-specific education before and after the introduction of AID would result in discontinuation of the use of AID devices, which would in turn result in suboptimal glucose control. In this review, I summarize lessons from clinical experience where AID is already in clinical use, and discuss what preparations should be made for successful introduction of AID in Korean clinical practice.