Self-Management of Type-2 Diabetes Using a Mobile Application

he global burden of diabetes mellitus is an issue of increasing concern globally. The social and economic burden is soaring, pushing scientist to discover alternative options to reduce the burden. It is estimated that the burden is worse in countries with limited resources such as Mauritius.

Mauritius has one of the highest DM prevalence in the world (24.3% prevalence for ages 20 - 79) for 2015 (International Diabetes Federation, 2015). 2,932 adult died due to diabetes, and the average cost of DM related problems amount to 2 billion rupees per year. The Mauritius Non Communicable Diseases Survey (Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, 2015) reports an estimated 257,442 people between the ages of 25 and 74 with Diabetes in Mauritius. A high prevalence of pre-diabetes is also noted, which may subsequently result in diabetes and heart disease, if not appropriately managed. The DM epidemic has a significant impact locally and globally, calling for urgent remedial strategies to curb the spread.

Studies have shown that patient's self-care including monitoring of blood glucose improve glycemic control (Allemann et al, 2009; Skeie et al, 2009; Istepanian et al, 2009). Patients are currently empowered through face to face counselling, websites, social media and other state of the art technologies. The use of smart phones for self-monitoring of blood glucose has shown to have substantial beneficial effects (Liang et al, 2011; Pal et al 2014).

Aims and objectives:

The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect on glycaemic levels among patients living with type 2 diabetes who are using a newly designed mobile application.

The objectives are to:

Measure the change in HbA1c after 3 months of using the application Compare secondary outcomes such as weight and BMI following the use of the application Assess the perception of patients using the digital tool and relate behavioural changes with the use of the application

Methodology:

A single arm prospective non randomised study is proposed. Participants will be recruited using adverts in the local newspapers and social media. Interested participants will be screened for eligibility and given the mobile application to use. They will be advised to record their daily fasting and post-prandial blood glucose as well as their levels of physical activity.

The following clinical and biomarkers will be checked before and after the use of the intervention: HbA1c, FBS, weight, BMI and blood pressure. The duration of follow up will be 3-6 months. An investigator designed questionnaire will be used to evaluate the use of the mobile app.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with HbA1c 7-8% (stable T2DM) Patients with Impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance Patients between 18 -74 years Both males and female patients Participants diagnosed with T2DM Participants able to provide consent Participants able to use the SMART phones

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with HbA1c >9% (poorly controlled DM) Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus Pregnant women Patients with gestational DM Patients unable to use smart devices Patients unable to provide consent People with other chronic diseases or health problems which can interfere with glycaemic control (e.g brittle asthma/COPD and using oral steroids)