Evidence mapPaperPMID 39761553Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2025

Examining the Emotional and Physical Health Impact in Users of Open-Source Automated Insulin Delivery and Sources of Support: Qualitative Analysis of Patient Narratives.

Bryan Cleal, Yanbing Chen, Mandy Wäldchen, Hanne Ballhausen, Drew Cooper, Shane O'Donnell, Christine Knoll, Niklas Krug, Klemens Raile, Tebbe Ubben and 5 more

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Bryan Cleal *Diabetes Management Research, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, DenmarkORCID 0000-0003-3065-7364
Yanbing Chen *Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-3093-2904
Mandy WäldchenSchool of Sociology, University College Dublin, Belfield, IrelandORCID 0000-0003-0404-517X
Hanne Ballhausen#dedoc° Diabetes Online Community, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4530-7669
Drew CooperCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-3847-8416
Shane O'DonnellSchool of Sociology, University College Dublin, Belfield, IrelandORCID 0000-0002-3778-705X
Christine KnollCharité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Medical Informatics, Berlin, GermanyORCID 0000-0001-7376-3365
Niklas KrugCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5147-8846
Klemens RaileDepartment of Pediatrics, Vivantes Klinikum Neukölln, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0842-1737
Tebbe Ubben#dedoc° Diabetes Online Community, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2573-2198
Adrian Tappe#dedoc° Diabetes Online Community, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-8501-7247
Dana LewisOpenAPS, Seattle, WA, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9176-6308
Ingrid WillaingDepartment of Public Health, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-3082-8816
Timothy SkinnerAustralian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0018-6963
Katarina BrauneCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6590-245X

Funding

Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlthough commercially developed automated insulin delivery (AID) systems have recently been approved and become available in a limited number of countries, they are not universally available, accessible, or affordable. Therefore, open-source AID systems, cocreated by an online community of people with diabetes and their families behind the hashtag #WeAreNotWaiting, have become increasingly popular.

objectiveThis study focused on examining the lived experiences, physical and emotional health implications of people with diabetes following the initiation of open-source AID systems, their perceived challenges, and their sources of support, which have not been explored in the existing literature.

methodsWe collected data from 383 participants across 29 countries through 2 sets of open-ended questions in a web-based survey on their experience of building and using open-source AID systems. Narratives were thematically analyzed, and a coding framework was identified through iterative alignment.

resultsParticipants consistently reported improvements in glycemia, physical health, sleep quality, emotional impact on everyday life, and quality of life. Knowledge of open-source AID systems was largely obtained through the #WeAreNotWaiting community, which was also the primary source of practical and emotional support. The acquisition of the components to build an open-source AID system and the technical setup were sometimes problematic.

conclusionsThe #WeAreNotWaiting movement represents a primary example of how informed and connected patients proactively address their unmet needs, provide peer support to each other, and obtain results through impactful, user-driven solutions. Alongside providing evidence on the safety and efficacy of open-source AID systems, this qualitative analysis helps in understanding how patients' experiences and benefits range from psychosocial improvements to a reduction in the burden of managing diabetes. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/15368.

Indexed as

InsulinAdultAgedDiabetes MellitusEmotionsFemaleHumansInsulin Infusion SystemsMaleMiddle AgedNarrationQualitative ResearchQuality of LifeInsulinautomated insulin deliverychallengescommunity supportcontinuous glucose monitoringdiabetesdiabetes technologyemotional healthimpactinsulin pumpsmobile phoneopen sourcepeer supportsupporttype 1 diabetesunmet needsusers

Identifiers

PMID39761553
PMCPMC11747533

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.