Self-management of Type-2 Diabetes Using a Mobile Application: A Pilot Study

There is a steady rise in the number of patients living with diabetes worldwide and the threat of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) on public health is urging policy makers, researchers and clinicians to investigate novel methods that can help to reduce the burden of diabetes and related complications. The use of mobile applications is emerging as the latest technology in the follow-up and management of patients with diabetes through registries, recall systems and monitoring. The primary objective of this research was to develop a mobile application entitled DiaMon, and to assess its acceptability to support patients of T2DM in self-managing their health conditions, specifically adapted to the Mauritian eating habits. Patients with T2DM or pre-diabetes were invited to participate in a study, over a period of 12 weeks, to evaluate the application. The glycaemic control (HbA1c, Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG)) was conducted at baseline and at the end of the study for each participant. A positive behavioural change was noted among the participants. There were statistically significant improvements in glycaemic control: the HbA1c showed an improvement of 1.2% over the 3-month period, with a mean of 6.53 (SD 1.66) %. Upon concluding the study, HbA1c was found to be within the recommended range for mitigating the risk of complications associated with T2DM. There was also a significant reduction in the mean FBG when the pre-intervention blood glucose values were compared to post-intervention. This research has demonstrated the positive impact of the use of a digital tool for the self-management of T2DM.