Effectiveness of self-management applications in improving clinical health outcomes and adherence among diabetic individuals in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Abstract

IntroductionA variety of mobile health (mHealth) applications are available to monitor an individual’s health or lifestyle to make it convenient to access healthcare facilities at home. The usability of mHealth applications in controlling HbA1c (estimated average blood glucose) levels is unclear despite their increasing use. The burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is high in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the highest burden in the Indian population. Our objective is to identify the effectiveness of mHealth applications in managing blood glucose levels of individuals with T2DM and to assess the impact of using mHealth applications in managing T2DM concerning health-promoting behaviour among the LMICs in the context of India.Methods and analysisThe electronic databases included for search are PubMed, Ovid Medline, EBSCO, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; additional sources of the search will be grey literature available on diabetes management websites and reference lists of included studies. Studies published in the English language in indexed and peer-reviewed sources will be considered. Studies reporting the effectiveness of mobile applications in the management of T2D in LMICs will be eligible for inclusion. The Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcomes framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement 2021 will be used for reporting. Data analysis will be carried out using narrative synthesis, and a meta-analysis may be conducted if we come across homogenous data for the outcome.Ethics and disseminationAs this study is a systematic review, we will not be recruiting any participants for the study and hence will not require ethical approval. The study summary will be disseminated at a conference.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021245517.

Reporting quality of published reviews of commercial and publicly available mobile health apps (mHealth app reviews): a scoping review protocol

“…1 These applications are increasingly being integrated into healthcare; supporting professionals in their clinical practice 2 and empowering patients to manage and monitor their health conditions. 3 4 However, the quality and reliability of mobile health (mHealth) apps vary significantly, 5 as developers can release smartphone health apps without any evaluation, meaning it is a challenge for health professionals and users without expertise in health research and digital technology to identify and evaluate the suitability of mHealth apps for their use.…”

Conducting a systematic review and evaluation of commercially available mobile applications (apps) on a health-related topic: the TECH approach and a step-by-step methodological guide

“… 1 In 2018, over 325 000 health apps were developed, 2 covering many health conditions and targeted behaviours. For example, mHealth apps can help to support self-management of conditions like diabetes, 3 facilitate remote monitoring of patients with chronic conditions 4 or support patients with general behaviour change such as increasing/monitoring physical activity 5 or dietary change. 6 Some health apps also support public health initiatives, such as promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging the uptake of screening and vaccination programmes.…”

“…1 In 2018, over 325 000 health apps were developed, 2 covering many health conditions and targeted behaviours. For example, mHealth apps can help to support self-management of conditions like diabetes, 3…”