Virtual Care Shows Promise for Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes, 12-Month Study Finds

Researchers in Stockholm, Sweden followed 70 young adults aged 18–25 with type 1 diabetes for 12 months. Half had immediate access to a digital platform that let them communicate with their healthcare team in real time, while the other half waited 6 months before gaining access. This design allowed researchers to see both the immediate benefits and what happened when the waiting group finally used the platform.

The study measured several important health markers: HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar over three months), time spent with blood sugar in range, and how satisfied participants felt with their diabetes treatment and quality of life.

The group using the virtual platform showed meaningful changes in their blood sugar control. After 12 months, their HbA1c decreased from 62.8 to 58.6 mmol/mol. More notably, they spent significantly more time with their blood sugar in their target range—improving from 46.6% to 56.9% of the day.

These shifts suggest that having easier access to healthcare support through a virtual platform may help young adults make real improvements in their day-to-day diabetes management.

Both groups reported a significant decrease in social burden—the emotional weight of managing diabetes in everyday situations—by the 12-month mark. The waiting group experienced this improvement even before they received access to the virtual platform, suggesting that simply knowing support was coming may have helped reduce stress.

This finding highlights that the psychological aspects of living with type 1 diabetes matter just as much as the medical numbers, and virtual care tools may address both.

This Swedish study is one of the first to track virtual diabetes care over a full year in young adults. Most previous research measured effects only over 6 months or less, so the 12-month data adds important information about whether benefits last over time.

The improvements in blood sugar control and quality of life suggest virtual care platforms have a genuine role to play in diabetes management for this age group. However, this was a single-centre study in Sweden with a relatively small group of participants, so more research in different settings and populations would strengthen the evidence.

Source: BMC endocrine disorders. Evidence type: PubMed indexed literature. Type1Cure is an information and intelligence hub, not a medical advice service. This article summarizes published research and does not provide diagnosis, treatment, or personal medical guidance. Always talk to your own care team before changing anything about your Type 1 diabetes management.