Kelly Close and Professor Thomas Danne Join Forces to Advance Time in Range

By Frida Velcani

Professor Thomas Danne and Kelly Close, two leading voices in the beyond A1C movement, came together to discuss the value of time in range for people with diabetes and their healthcare teams

Whether you are someone who is new to diabetes or someone who has been diagnosed with diabetes for decades, time in range (TIR) is an important tool that can help guide your daily diabetes management and reduce your risk for complications. TIR is the percentage of time that a person spends in their target blood glucose range (typically 70-180 mg/dl). Expanded access to continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and advances in medications (such as SGLT-2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists) have made it more possible for people with diabetes to avoid high and low glucose levels and stay in-range. With all of this progress, we believe there is potential to reach even more people with diabetes who could benefit from using TIR!  

diaTribe Founder Kelly Close recently spoke with Professor Thomas Danne about the opportunities and challenges of using TIR as part of diabetes management. Combined, Close and Professor Danne have almost 60 years of experience in the diabetes field. During this time, they have both played a vital role in the evolution of diabetes care, general treatment goals, and tools for diabetes management. In this video, Close shares her personal experiences using TIR, including how it has allowed her to have important and empowering conversations with her healthcare team. She explains that working toward specific glucose targets and knowing that she is investing in better long-term health has given her a sense of safety. Professor Danne acknowledges that there are still barriers in getting healthcare professionals and people with diabetes to adjust to a new metric of care. With teamwork, he says, we can overcome the initial learning curve and get more people to start using this helpful measurement of diabetes management.

To learn more about time in range, check out diaTribe’s resource library here.

Fast forward through the video to watch the different sections, according to your fancy!

• 0:08 Introduction

• 2:06 Evolving Diabetes Management – What opportunities does time in range provide?

• 9:48 Implications of the 2019 ATTD consensus report – How is time in range affecting diabetes management, personalized treatment, and lifestyle modifications?

• 18:31 Realizing the full potential of time in range – How can we ensure the wider use of this personalized diabetes management tool?

• 26:38 Barriers to be addressed – How do we establish the link with A1C?

This article is part of a series on time in range. The diaTribe Foundation, in concert with the Time in Range Coalition, is committed to helping people with diabetes and their caregivers understand time in range to maximize patients' health. Learn more about the Time in Range Coalition here.