Mobile health technology in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes

Muralidharan, Shruti; Ranjani, Harish; Anjana, Ranjit Mohan; Allender, Steven; Mohan, Viswanathan

doi:10.4103/ijem.ijem_407_16

Cited by 60 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, diabetes self-management is a highly demanding responsibility which requires continuous diabetes education and support to empower patients in improving health literacy and maintaining the necessary self-care behaviours (14, 15). Evidence suggests that diabetes applications (apps) support patients in advancing their knowledge of the disease, including awareness of complications and their personal self-management capabilities (16–20). Previous studies showed improvements in glycemic controls from digital health interventions including the use of diabetes apps (10, 18, 21–23).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Popular Diabetes Apps and the Impact of Diabetes App Use on Self-Care Behaviour: A Survey Among the Digital Community of Persons With Diabetes on Social Media

Kebede

Pischke

2019

Front. Endocrinol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: This study aimed to identify popular diabetes applications (apps) and to investigate the association of diabetes app use and other factors with cumulative self-care behaviour. Methods: From November 2017 to March 2018, we conducted a web-based survey with persons 18 years of age and above. We recruited respondents via diabetes Facebook groups, online patient-forums and targeted Facebook advertisements (ads). Data on participants' demographic, clinical, and self-management characteristics, as well as on self-care behaviour and characteristics of the diabetes apps use were collected. Self-care behaviour was measured using a licensed version of the Summary of Diabetes Self-care Activities (SDSCA) questionnaire. The cumulative self-care score was calculated by summing up scores for “general diet,” “specific diet,” “exercise,” “blood glucose testing,” “foot care” and “smoking.” To identify popular diabetes apps, users were requested to list all apps they use for diabetes self-management. Two sample t -test and multiple linear regression stratified by type of diabetes were performed to examine associations between app use and self-care behaviour, by controlling for key confounders. Results: One thousand fifty two respondents with type 1 and 630 respondents with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) entered the survey. More than half, 549 (52.2%), and one third, 210 (33.3%), of respondents with type 1 and 2 DM, respectively, reported using diabetes apps for self-management. “mySugr” and continuous glucose monitoring apps, such as “Dexcom,” “Freestyle Libre,” and “Xdrip+” were some of the most popular diabetes apps. In both respondent groups, the cumulative self-care behaviour score was significantly higher among diabetes app users (compared to non-users) and scores for three individual self-care components, namely “blood glucose monitoring,” “general diet,” and “physical activity” were significantly higher among diabetes app users than among non-users. After adjusting for confounding factors, diabetes app use increased the cumulative self-care score by 1.08 (95%CI: 0.46–1.7) units among persons with type 1 DM and by 1.18 (95%CI: 0.26–2.09) units among persons with type 2 DM, respectively. Conclusion: For both, persons with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, using diabetes apps for self-management was positively associated with self-care behaviour. Our findings suggest that apps can support changes in lifestyle and glucose monitoring in these populations.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Popular Diabetes Apps and the Impact of Diabetes App Use on Self-Care Behaviour: A Survey Among the Digital Community of Persons With Diabetes on Social Media

Kebede

Pischke

2019

Front. Endocrinol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several studies, including many in this review, have shown that involving HCPs in digital interventions is associated with improved self-management of diabetes and the success of these interventions [ 31 , 48 , 49 , 52 , 70 - 72 ]. Therefore, studies focusing on apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management should evaluate the possibilities of effortlessly integrating these interventions in the workflow of HCPs—the connection and interaction with electronic health journals and other existing health information systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Methods and Evaluation Criteria for Apps and Digital Interventions for Diabetes Self-Management: Systematic Review

Larbi¹,

Randine²,

Årsand³

et al. 2020

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background There is growing evidence that apps and digital interventions have a positive impact on diabetes self-management. Standard self-management for patients with diabetes could therefore be supplemented by apps and digital interventions to increase patients’ skills. Several initiatives, models, and frameworks suggest how health apps and digital interventions could be evaluated, but there are few standards for this. And although there are many methods for evaluating apps and digital interventions, a more specific approach might be needed for assessing digital diabetes self-management interventions. Objective This review aims to identify which methods and criteria are used to evaluate apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management, and to describe how patients were involved in these evaluations. Methods We searched CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science for articles published from 2015 that referred to the evaluation of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management and involved patients in the evaluation. We then conducted a narrative qualitative synthesis of the findings, structured around the included studies’ quality, methods of evaluation, and evaluation criteria. Results Of 1681 articles identified, 31 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 7 articles were considered of high confidence in the evidence. Apps were the most commonly used platform for diabetes self-management (18/31, 58%), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) was the targeted health condition most studies focused on (12/31, 38%). Questionnaires, interviews, and user-group meetings were the most common methods of evaluation. Furthermore, the most evaluated criteria for apps and digital diabetes self-management interventions were cognitive impact, clinical impact, and usability. Feasibility and security and privacy were not evaluated by studies considered of high confidence in the evidence. Conclusions There were few studies with high confidence in the evidence that involved patients in the evaluation of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management. Additional evaluation criteria, such as sustainability and interoperability, should be focused on more in future studies to provide a better understanding of the effects and potential of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management.

show abstract

“…In the Pregnant+ study, health care professionals were asked to refrain from using the Pregnant+ app as a communication tool in their consultation to reduce possible confounding. Previous studies have reported that successful development and implementation of mHealth interventions should involve both the health care professionals and their clients [ 36 , 48 ]. For instance, a narrative review of mHealth technologies in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus found that such technologies, with added support from the health care professionals, resulted in better outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus than interventions that did not involve health care professionals [ 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health Care Professionals’ Attitudes Toward, and Experiences of Using, a Culture-Sensitive Smartphone App for Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Qualitative Study

Garnweidner-Holme¹,

Andersen²,

Sando³

et al. 2018

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundThe increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among women of different ethnic backgrounds provides new challenges for health care professionals, who often find it difficult to provide information about the management of this disease to such individuals. Mobile health (mHealth) may act as a useful tool for blood sugar control and care process enhancement. However, little is known about health care professionals’ experiences and attitudes toward the use of mHealth for women with GDM.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore how health care professionals perceived the provision of care to pregnant women who managed their GDM using the culture-sensitive Pregnant+ app in a randomized controlled trial.MethodsIndividual interviews with 9 health care professionals providing care for women with GDM were conducted. Braun and Clark’s method of thematic content analysis inspired the analysis. This study included health care professionals who were primarily responsible for providing care to participants with GDM in the Pregnant+ randomized controlled trial at 5 diabetes outpatient clinics in Oslo, Norway.ResultsHealth care professionals perceived mHealth, particularly the Pregnant+ app, as an appropriate tool for the care of women with GDM, who were described as individuals comprising a heterogeneous, motivated group that could be easily approached with health-related information. Some participants reported challenges with respect to provision of advice to women with different food cultures. The advantages of the Pregnant+ app included provision of information that women could access at home, the information provided being perceived as trustworthy by health care professionals, the culture sensitivity of the app, and the convenience for women to register blood sugar levels. Technical problems, particularly those associated with the automatic transfer of blood glucose measurements, were identified as the main barrier to the use of the Pregnant+ app. Strict inclusion criteria and the inclusion of participants who could not speak Norwegian were the main challenges in the recruitment process for the randomized controlled trial.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that mHealth is a useful tool to enhance the care provided by health care professionals to women with GDM. Future mobile apps for the management of GDM should be developed by a trustworthy source and in cooperation with health care professionals. They should also be culture sensitive and should not exhibit technical problems.

show abstract

Mobile health technology in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes

Cited by 60 publications

References 38 publications

Popular Diabetes Apps and the Impact of Diabetes App Use on Self-Care Behaviour: A Survey Among the Digital Community of Persons With Diabetes on Social Media

Popular Diabetes Apps and the Impact of Diabetes App Use on Self-Care Behaviour: A Survey Among the Digital Community of Persons With Diabetes on Social Media

Methods and Evaluation Criteria for Apps and Digital Interventions for Diabetes Self-Management: Systematic Review

Health Care Professionals’ Attitudes Toward, and Experiences of Using, a Culture-Sensitive Smartphone App for Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Qualitative Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About