Who Is Downloading the Free AIDA v4.3a Interactive Educational Diabetes Computer Software? A 1-Year Survey of 3,864 Downloads

Abstract

AIDA is a free diabetes computer program that permits the interactive simulation of plasma insulin and blood glucose profiles for educational, demonstration, self-learning, and research purposes. To date over 70000 copies of the software have been downloaded from the AIDA Website, www.2aida.org. This column documents a survey of downloaders of the latest release of the program (AIDA v4.3a). The Internet-based survey methodology was confirmed to be robust and reliable. Over a 1-year period (from March 2001 to February 2002) in total 3864 responses were received. During the corresponding period some 8578 actual downloads of the software were independently logged via the same route at the AIDA Website, giving a response rate for this survey of 45%. Responses were received from participants in 66 countries - over half of these (n = 2,137; 55.3%) were from the United States and the United Kingdom. There were 2318 responses (60.0%) received from patients with diabetes and 443 (11.5%) from relatives of patients, with fewer responses from doctors, students, diabetes educators, nurses, pharmacists, and other end users. This study highlights considerable interest amongst patients and their relatives to learn more about balancing insulin and diet in diabetes, as well as possibly to get more involved in self-management of insulin dosages. More computer applications that can cater for this interest in diabetes patient self-care need to be developed and made available. The Internet provides an ideal medium for the distribution of such educational tools.

Retrospective Pilot Feedback Survey of 200 Users of the AIDA Version 4 Educational Diabetes Program. 3—Discussion.

“…This free text feedback is in keeping with the wide range of other comments about AIDA that have been posted to public diabetes lists and discussion groups, as well as received from users directly by email. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Overall, this experience seems to reinforce the view that patients are actually interested in getting more involved in managing their own insulin dosages. This may be of increasing importance as more DAFNE (Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating)-style structured educational programs [22][23][24][25][26] are trialed and adopted.…”

“…Other groups include doctors, nurses, and relatives of people with diabetes. It is clear from this survey, as well as other studies, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] that the software is being accessed by a wide range of individuals who have an interest in finding out more about the dynamics of glucose-insulin interaction in diabetes.…”

Management of diabetes using adaptive control

“…The AIDA system enables a set of case studies to be simulated using a compartment model of the carbohydrate metabolism [46]. The system is available free on the web, has been widely publicized, and has received a significant attention from various stakeholders in the area of diabetes management [47]. Other examples of a dedicated educational software and simulators for insulin-requiring subjects with diabetes are SESAM-DIABETE [48], program by Pernick and Rodbard [49] and Hauser et al [50].…”

British Diabetic Association Review of the AIDA v4 Diabetes Software Simulator Program

“…An interesting observation to come out of this survey, which has been made before, 5 is that health-care professionals' views regarding what they think patients may want or need may not actually match what patients themselves are asking for. This certainly seems to be the case with AIDA, with health-carers in some cases perceiving that patients do not need/want so much information, but patients themselves continuing to download and make use of the program (and by implication seeming to want the type of information that AIDA provides).…”

“…The AIDA software and its use have been described previously in this journal, 1 as well as elsewhere in the literature. 2 In previous articles, and Diabetes Information Technology & WebWatch columns, various indicators of usage of AIDA have also been reviewed, [3][4][5] and various comments from users of the software have been documented. [6][7][8][9] …”