Study: Mobile programs could help diabetes management
An interactive computer software program appears to be effective in helping patients manage their type 2 diabetes using their mobile phones, according to a study to be published in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
The researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore found that a key measure of the amount of hemoglobin A1c in a person's blood was lowered by an average of 1.9 percent over a period of one year in patients using the mobile health software.
The year-long study enrolled 163 patients with the help of 39 primary care doctors in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County. Patients were divided into four groups based on the research assignment of their physician. Three patient groups received mobile phones loaded with the diabetes management software and the fourth group served as a control group. All patients in the study received a free blood glucose meter and testing supplies.
The software examined in the research provided real-time feedback on patients' blood sugar levels, displayed medication regimens and served as a "virtual coach." A patient's blood sugar test results were sent wirelessly from a blood glucose monitor to the mobile phone. If the level was too low or too high, the software on the phone prompted the person to take steps to correct it. The system also analyzed blood sugar levels and other patient information and sent computer-generated logbooks and suggested treatment plans to the patients' primary care physician.
The study indicated that using mobile phones, the internet and other mobile communications technology to keep patients healthy may have broad applications to help patients and their physicians manage many health conditions.
The findings support the further exploration of mobile health approaches to manage many chronic conditions, including diabetes, the researchers concluded.
"These results are very encouraging," concluded the study's principal investigator Charlene C. Quinn, PhD, an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The 1.9 percent decrease in A1c that we saw in this research is significant. Previous randomized clinical trials have suggested that just a 1 percent decrease in A1c will prevent complications of diabetes, including heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure."
The researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore found that a key measure of the amount of hemoglobin A1c in a person's blood was lowered by an average of 1.9 percent over a period of one year in patients using the mobile health software.
The year-long study enrolled 163 patients with the help of 39 primary care doctors in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Anne Arundel County. Patients were divided into four groups based on the research assignment of their physician. Three patient groups received mobile phones loaded with the diabetes management software and the fourth group served as a control group. All patients in the study received a free blood glucose meter and testing supplies.
The software examined in the research provided real-time feedback on patients' blood sugar levels, displayed medication regimens and served as a "virtual coach." A patient's blood sugar test results were sent wirelessly from a blood glucose monitor to the mobile phone. If the level was too low or too high, the software on the phone prompted the person to take steps to correct it. The system also analyzed blood sugar levels and other patient information and sent computer-generated logbooks and suggested treatment plans to the patients' primary care physician.
The study indicated that using mobile phones, the internet and other mobile communications technology to keep patients healthy may have broad applications to help patients and their physicians manage many health conditions.
The findings support the further exploration of mobile health approaches to manage many chronic conditions, including diabetes, the researchers concluded.
"These results are very encouraging," concluded the study's principal investigator Charlene C. Quinn, PhD, an assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "The 1.9 percent decrease in A1c that we saw in this research is significant. Previous randomized clinical trials have suggested that just a 1 percent decrease in A1c will prevent complications of diabetes, including heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure."