Evolving patient empowerment and education have produced communities of do-it-yourself (DIY) medical device makers and hackers who value their autonomy and, in at least some cases, achieve excellent results. Physicians may find themselves left out of what was once a cornerstone of an ancient and traditional relationship.

Here, the authors present perspectives on DIY artificial pancreas systems from a patient (Karen Dimentstein), a physician (Jay M. Sosenko), and an ethics professor (Kenneth W. Goodman). Their intention is to convey the patient’s and the physician’s personal feelings regarding do-it-yourself (DIY) closed-loop insulin delivery devices and the DIY initiative that fostered their development. These views could well be representative of some other patients and physicians, but certainly not of all. From a less personal perspective, the ethics professor, Dr. Goodman, reflects on the potential societal impact and consequences (both positive and negative) of the DIY device. [An empirical assessment is outside of the intent and scope of this article.]

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Dimenstein K, Sosenko JM, Goodman KW. Do-It-Yourself Diabetes Management: Perspectives of a Patient, a Physician, and an Ethicist. Clinical Diabetes 2021: https://doi.org/10.2337/cd20-0058