Diabetes: the time has come to ‘go further’ and break down all the barriers against disinformation and fake news. The time has come to turn on the light on a disease that, if on the one hand sees the numbers increase, on the other, sees the awareness decrease. Especially in this period in which – due to the pandemic – all chronic diseases seem to have been dramatically overshadowed. But they have certainly not disappeared. For this reason, Msd Italia has decided to launch the website www.spingersioltre.it, entirely dedicated to type 2 diabetes: an information tool at the service of patients and caregivers.
“To make a real difference in people’s lives – he explains Nicoletta Luppi, President and CEO of Msd Italia – we must try to satisfy health needs at 360 °. For a person with diabetes and their family members, correct information is a ‘need for health‘, because it marks the watershed between being aware of and participating in the management of the disease and falling into the trap of fake news and bad advisers, with damage that is impossible to predict. A true lesson always, but even more so in a period like this, where it is more important than ever to keep the spotlight on chronic diseases. Msd Italia confirms, with even more conviction, the choice to stand alongside patients, doctors and institutions in combating disinformation. And for this reason we believe in the project for the website www.spingersioltre.it which was born after the homonymous social campaign that has supported patients in the last two years “.
“In recent years – underlines Simona Frontoni, associate professor of Endocrinology at the Roman University ‘Tor Vergata’ and Director of the Uoc Endocrinology and Diabetology hospital Fatebenefratelli Isola Tiberina in Rome – people have moved away from the Diabetes Centers and, at times, even from the general practitioner. And so misinformation, including on the subject of diabetes, could do great damage. Yet, by now we know, a diabetic who is not adequately compensated is a fragile patient, even more fragile in the face of Covid. This site serves precisely to help, in a simple and clear way, to provide correct information and to invite the patient to always contact their doctor. Because with diabetes under control, you can lead a normal life, without losing your smile. “
“It is important to reiterate that to make a difference in people’s lives, you have to take care of them”, adds Nicoletta Luppi. “Like MSD, we do it with our innovative therapeutic solutions, but also by playing an active and responsible role in society. For us the value of health is primary. An informed person – he underlines – is a person who knows how to take care of himself and loved ones, he knows how to implement prevention strategies, he knows how to be the protagonist of his treatment path. Providing correct scientific information, with a simple and easily understandable language is a challenge that we take up responsibly. This site was born after two years of a social campaign dedicated to diabetes that joined the many other health education initiatives that we have implemented in the field of cancer prevention, vaccination screening, the fight against hepatitis C and antibiotic resistance ”
“It is true that patients are much more informed than in the past, even the elderly, also thanks to a greater familiarity with digital. But we cannot ignore that in recent years many chronic patients and the data confirm this – reflects Simona Frontoni – have move away from the Diabetes Centers and even their referring physician. During the Covid pandemic, about one third of patients with chronic diseases had difficulty maintaining communication with their doctor and one in ten even stopped contacting them. This means putting one’s adherence to therapies at risk, falling into the temptation of ‘do it yourself’ and looking for answers to one’s questions, even in everyday life, in ‘bad counselors’. Correct information, even through unconventional channels, is therefore of primary importance. Also for general practitioners who are often the first interlocutor of patients confused by news found on the net “, he concludes.
The site www.spingersioltre.it has different sections dedicated to different thematic areas: from knowledge of the pathology, to diagnosis and therapy. Without forgetting the useful tips to better face everyday life, from nutrition, physical activity to personal care. And, finally, a section dedicated to Covid where, thanks to the ‘true-false’, in a simple way, it is explained how fragile the person with diabetes – especially if not controlled – is in front of the virus and how important vaccination is.