“Citizen scientists” with T1D are helping to push the boundaries of uptake of diabetes treatments and technologies, as seen in the WeAreNotWaiting movement and in capturing and sharing data in health provision services to enhance access. I aim to show how this has provided additional evidence and approaches to treatment for healthcare professionals and explain why you should be working with us to do more.
A review of collaborations, experiments and interventions by “citizen scientists” to determine the type of evidence or data produced and relate this to the outcomes achieved.
Specific examples show that work undertaken by "citizen scientists" has resulted in collaboration relating to clinical trials, changes in approach to delivering insulin, better understanding about what to expect with new treatments and changes in the approach to how policy is delivered at a national level.
“Citizen scientists” with T1D have a different drive and are able to take a different view from those working in the healthcare and academic professions, bringing additional skills to bear and providing useful insights that can be used to enhance existing approaches. They should be considered a key part of a holistic team and engaged with more frequently to help enhance uptake of new treatments and technologies.