柔性电子在糖尿病诊断, 治疗及护理中的应用综述

Diabetes is a common chronic metabolic disease characterized by high glucose concentrations in the blood, adversely affecting the health and diminishing the qualities of life of patients. In addition, diabetes can also cause a series of complications, rendering it difficult to restore the health of patients with medication alone. The development of these complications may lead to disability or even death. With the rise of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, flexible electronics has been gradually employed for the treatment of diabetes in recent years due to its unique advantages such as being lightweight, stretchable, or bendable. To treat and control the development of diabetes, patients need to regularly detect glucose content in the blood and take medication over a long term period. Traditional methods of diagnosing diabetes are unable to detect the glucose level in the blood continuously and in real time, causing trauma and delaying the best treatment time for patients. Due to inadequate nursing mechanism and backward nursing equipment, the conditions of patients may worsen rapidly. Flexible electronics are integrated into wearable flexible electronic devices through integration with sensing technologies. These equipment can be directly worn on the body, and are able to detect the glucose level in the body continuously and in real time through non-invasive or minimally invasive detection methods. By integrating drug delivery devices and wireless communication equipment, the setup can intelligently control drug dosage, render drug treatment, as well as carry out real-time health monitoring and exercise assistance for diabetic patients. Therefore, wearable flexible electronic devices provide new ways for diagnosis, treatment, and nursing care of diabetes, and has become the most ideal platform for individualized management of diabetes. This paper reviews the applications of flexible wearable devices in the diagnosis, treatment, and nursing care for diabetes in recent years. The challenges faced in the development of flexible wearable devices are also discussed. Progress in the area of flexible wearable devices may potentially alleviate problems faced by diabetic patients, thereby improving their quality of life.