A round-up of an extraordinary year

I am sure we have all felt the huge toll that COVID-19 has brought with it, from the directly personal effects to the work-related changes that we have had to deal with. Many diabetes teams had to be reassigned to alternative front-line duties, whilst other team members were shielded at home. We all adapted admirably to cope with changes to the way we delivered care. With this, we saw changes that we previously would not have thought possible, and the amount of care that was able to be delivered remotely and inventively was astonishing. These changes were implemented in record time and with great professionalism.

All this remote working allowed us to increase the use of technology to both oversee and review our patients at a speed we had only previously dreamed of. The uptake in the use of flash glucose monitoring, building on the campaign initiated by Partha Kar, has been invaluable. Many of these changes are here to stay and we shall, I am sure, reflect on the positives we can take from this and strive for further improvements in our care delivery going forward.

In the same manner, the educational opportunities we have been able to access this year are to be celebrated. The national and international conferences, which previously were out of reach for many due to time and financial constraints, have been open to all. The numbers attending virtual sessions have been staggering. I feel this demonstrates the unending thirst for knowledge among healthcare professionals, and their keenness to attend sessions in their own time is an inspiration. And to cap it all, this education has been attended at a time when work pressures due to COVID have been at their greatest.

This desire for knowledge has been great news for the Journal. We have seen a huge increase in the number of healthcare professionals viewing articles and downloading documents, with our average number of page views in 2020 up by 40% from last year. We have been humbled by the record-breaking numbers attracted by many of our articles, which were put out in such a timely manner and clearly addressed very pertinent topics.

Outside of our COVID bubble, we must not forget that, over this year, we have also seen ground-breaking news within the diabetes field, from the massively exciting advances in the SGLT2 inhibitor class to the opening of access to the new FreeStyle Libre 2 sensors to increasing groups of our patients – notably, to those with learning difficulties, for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
 

Looking ahead to 2021

Whilst we draw breath as this year comes to a close, the vaccine to battle the coronavirus is being rolled out, providing us a glimmer of hope for the future. At the Journal, which itself turns 25 next year, we are looking forward to celebrating 2021 as it marks “100 years of insulin”. We are reflecting on our increased reach to healthcare professionals, and we will strive to continue offering innovative and valued articles that share good practice and push the boundaries of diabetes nursing. Of course, if any of you have topics or ideas you’d like to see us cover, you can email [email protected], or tweet us @JDNjournal.

I wish to offer my sincere congratulations to each and every one of you, for managing and adapting working practices so positively in 2020 and providing care under the most enormously challenging times I have ever experienced. I have never been so proud to be part of the NHS!

I wish you all a restful Christmas and New Year, and let’s all hope for great things in 2021!