I would do anything to avoid going to the ER. When it's inevitable, it's never fun. It's confusing, scary, and usually involves some kind of diabetes-related fight. At times I was asked to remove my pump or they wouldn't accept my CGM data. At one point I was told I needed to hand over my insulin (and pump) and wasn't allowed to do “anything diabetes related.” The level of assertiveness I had to be just to get permission to do what I do every minute of every day was exhausting, on top of the reason I was there in the first place.
Emergency departments are overworked machines and I am not being critical when I talk about my experience. Emergency departments have a lot of moving parts and the medical professionals who staff them are not experts in diabetes. What really frustrates me is not the lack of expertise but their refusal to acknowledge my expertise.
Now imagine what it would be like if emergency medical care was available. Diabetes Specialty CareEven better, imagine receiving that care in the comfort of your own home.
Welcome to the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department Diabetes Service (adding a new acronym to diabetes terminology: VVED-Diabetes). This is not a unicorn, utopia or Camelot. This is a real service that exists right now for Victorians with diabetes who need emergency care. Last week, National Diabetes Week Event As well as showcasing this fantastic new service, we also showed how people with diabetes have been an integral part of its design.
VVED is not new – it has been around for quite some time. I first became aware of the service when I had COVID in late 2022 and was directed to it by the Victorian Government's COVID page. This Twitter thread outlines my experience It was just amazing, and I raved about VVED to anyone who would listen – family and friends, the staff at Woolies and even the poor pharmacist who I became wary of every time I walked into the store lest I be lectured about how I should tell everyone about it again.
But the addition of diabetes to the VVED is new. This has come about after a lot of hard work from some really incredible people. This process has been very clever because it's been done in the most collaborative way with a range of different groups to make sure we've got all the acute care bases covered. Northern Health, the Victorian Government, Ambulance Victoria, Acadie, Diabetes Victoria Both the Victorian and Tasmanian PHN alliances were involved in establishing the services, and local residents provided input based on their lived experiences (both independently and through their involvement with these organisations).
And the contribution of that lived experience was crucial. When the service guidelines were being developed, we had some great discussions about the theory and practice of diabetic patients needing emergency consultation. I like that these guidelines are different from the general guidelines in a regular emergency department because they are about diabetes, and more specifically, about diabetic patients.
If you use a smart device with a camera Contact VVED (See flyer below for details.) If you have an issue that requires urgent treatment, you’ll speak directly to a medical professional to assess your situation and determine your course of action. In many cases, medical professionals can assist you virtually, saving you trips to the emergency department and long wait times.
Of course, if the situation is life-threatening, call an ambulance immediately.
This is a service that goes a long way to making diabetes a little easier. How wonderful to be able to deal with a difficult diabetic situation at home with expert advice and care. VVED-Diabetes is a service that provides the necessary expertise while taking into account the capabilities and experience of diabetic patients, paving the way for a much better urgent care experience. When we talk about person-centred care, this is a great example. Please, more!
This flyer explains all about our services, click here VVED website.