"She has become my best friend": a qualitative study on the perspective of elderly with type 2 diabetes regarding the use of an interactive virtual assistant device for diabetes care and mental health promotion.

Aims: To qualitatively evaluate the experiences and emotional responses of elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes regarding the use of an interactive virtual assistant device.

Methods And Results: This qualitative study included elderly individuals who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and who had been using the Smart Speaker EchoDot 3rd Gen (Amazon Echo) device for three months. A structured face-to-face interview with open-ended questions was conducted to evaluate their experiences and emotional responses associated with the device.

Hidden barriers: obesity bias in hypertension treatment.

Background And Objectives: Individuals with obesity often face obesity bias, which may influence the delivery of appropriate medical care. Our aim is to evaluate the adequacy of therapeutic decisions regarding the pharmacological treatment for hypertension in patients with diabetes, both with and without obesity.

Methods: This is a multicentric cross-sectional study of patients with type 2 diabetes and arterial hypertension who received outpatient care in Southern Brazil.

Interactive virtual assistance for mental health promotion and self-care management in elderly with type 2 diabetes (IVAM-ED): study protocol and statistical analysis plan for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: With one in five individuals aged 65 or older living with type 2 diabetes worldwide, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the challenges faced by this population. In this context, our study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a behavioral intervention model delivered through a smart speaker on mental health and diabetes self-care in the elderly with diabetes.

Methods: This is a single-center, pragmatic, parallel two-arm open randomized clinical trial involving elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.

Obesity bias: How can this underestimated problem affect medical decisions in healthcare? A systematic review.

Introduction: Obesity is often labeled as a physical characteristic of a patient rather than a disease and it is subject to obesity bias by health providers, which harms the equality of healthcare in this population.

Objective: Identifying whether obesity bias interferes in clinical decision-making in the treatment of patients with obesity.

Methods: A systematic review of observational studies published between 1993 and 2023 in MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library on obesity bias and therapeutic decisions was carried out.