Practo's survey revealed that 71 percent of doctors believe in the possibility of achieving Diabetes Remission (DR), which means bringing blood sugars back into the normal range without relying on medications.

The survey aimed to understand the healthcare community's attitudes towards managing India's escalating diabetes burden. With over 100 million people with diabetes in India and an estimated doubling of this number by 2045, the country urgently needs to reassess its diabetes management strategies.

The survey not only illuminated the positive attitudes of Healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards diabetes remission but also brought to the forefront several barriers they face in implementing it for their patients.

According to the survey, healthcare professionals believed that approximately 40 percent of their patients were eligible for diabetes remission. However, only 52 percent of them had access to a dietician (either in-house or externally) or a structured diabetes remission program. This left the remaining professionals to take on multiple roles in a time-constrained environment, hindering their ability to successfully achieve remission in their patients.

Some barriers commonly reported by doctors to successfully achieving remission in their patients were:

● The patient's difficulty in adhering to diet and fitness plans was reported by 86 percent of respondents.
● 43 percent of respondents cited a lack of family support as a barrier to successful diabetes remission.
● 29 percent of respondents mentioned a shortage of resources to closely monitor the patient's progress as a challenge.

In April 2023, a survey was conducted among 260 diabetologists, evenly distributed between tier I cities (Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune) and tier II & III cities.

Practo recently launched 'Transform,' its diabetes remission program, with the aim of bridging the gap in providing high-quality diabetes remission care. The program is designed to assist type 2 diabetes patients in reducing their dependency on medication and achieving diabetes remission through a focus on healthy eating and physical activity over a period of six months.

Medical experts from the NHS, U.K., contributed to its development, utilizing evidence from the landmark DIRECT trial adapted to suit the Indian population. 'Transform' integrates technology with a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach, emphasizing sustained habit and behavior change.