Digital Health Solutions for Community-Based Control of Diabetes During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Implementation Outcomes

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has added to the pre-existing challenges of diabetes management in many countries. It has accelerated the wider use of digital health solutions which have tremendous potential to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes. However, little is known about the attributes and the implementation of these solutions. Objective: To identify and describe digital health solutions for community-based diabetes management and to highlight their key implementation outcomes. Methods: We searched Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science for relevant articles. A purposive search was also used to identify grey literature. Articles that described digital health solutions that aimed to improve community-based diabetes management were included in this review. We applied a thematic synthesis of evidence to describe the characteristics of digital health solutions, and to summarize their key implementation outcomes. Results: We included 15 articles that reported digital health solutions that primarily focused on community-based diabetes management. Nine of the 15 innovations involved were mobile applications and/or web-based platforms, and five were based on social media platforms. The majority of the digital health solutions were used for diabetes education and support. High engagement, utilization, and satisfaction rates with digital health solutions were observed. The use of digital health solutions was also associated with improvement in self-management, taking medication, and reduction in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Conclusion: COVID-19 triggered digital health solutions have tremendous potential to improve health outcomes for people with diabetes. Further studies are needed to evaluate the sustainability and scale-up of these solutions.

Perceptions in using teleconsultation during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chennai, South India

“…This necessitates a significant shift in how clinical personnel and patients see coping with these unpredictable times (26). In a review on digital health solutions by Haregu et al (2023), one of the difficulties in implementing digital health solutions in low-and middle-income nations was the lack of access to dependable internet connectivity and the lack of readiness for the adoption of virtual services (27). The deployment of digital health solutions may worsen inequities in healthcare access for disadvantaged groups with poor digital literacy or access to the internet and digital devices even though they increased access to care and continuity of care.…”

A cross-sectional study on diabetes self-management practice and its association with glycemic control among type 2 Diabetes patients

“…Further, another study also emphasised that medication adherence and self-management of diabetes should be enhanced among patients by adopting digital solutions. [ 23 ]…”