Digital health and diabetes: experience from India

Out-of-pocket expenses and rationing of insulin and diabetes supplies: findings from the 2022 T1International cross-sectional web-based survey

Introduction

Continue investigating Out-of-Pocket Expenses (OoPEs) and rationing of insulin and diabetes supplies, including impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, for people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Methods

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in English and advertised by T1International's global network of patient advocates from May through September 2022. Participants provided monthly OoPEs and rationing frequency for insulin and supplies, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and open-ended comments.

Results

In the seven most represented countries, mean monthly OoPEs were highest in the United States, followed by Panama, Canada, and India, and were much lower in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden. OoPEs were highest for participants with partial healthcare coverage, followed by those with no healthcare coverage. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted access and/or affordability of insulin and/or supplies for over half of participants. Globally, 19.5% reported insulin rationing and 36.6% reported rationing glucose testing supplies. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses identified themes such as 'mental health impacts' and 'limits to life choices.'

Discussion

High OoPEs lead to rationing of insulin and supplies for many people with T1D globally. Healthcare systems improvements and price reductions of insulin and supplies are needed to ensure adequate, equitable access for all.

Development and Testing of an Electronic Diabetes Diary Integrated With a Hospital Information System for Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the leading noncommunicable diseases that require diabetes self-management (DSM) practices. This study proposes to develop a customized mobile health (mHealth) app integrated with a hospital information system (HIS) to enable real-time, two-way transfer of information between the patient and physician. The captured information in the electronic health record will facilitate physicians to have a chronological account of the patient's diabetes history and enable tweaking of the treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the study are (1) to develop the HIS-integrated Electronic Diabetes Diary (EDDy) per the end-user expectations at a tertiary care hospital in a south Indian state with a high prevalence of T2DM and (2) to evaluate and test adherence to EDDy in the management of T2DM.

METHODS

The study will be carried out in 3 phases. Phase 1 involved in-depth interviews with primary end users to gather information regarding their expectations from the hospital-based EDDy. Phase 2 will use this information to develop a customized mHealth app using an iterative model of software development. Phase 3 will involve a pre- and posttest design; the developed app will be tested among consenting patients, where physicians will receive the patients' data through the HIS-integrated mHealth app. The pre- and posttest values will be analyzed for adherence leading to improvement in patients' self-management of blood glucose, user experience, glycemic control, and clinical utility.

RESULTS

Phase 1 was completed on November 28, 2023. Phase 2 commenced in December 2023 and will end in May 2025. Phase 3 will follow afterward.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed app will include a convenient and simple alert system that enables the patient to test glucose values at self-selected intervals, provide grading options to enter diabetic-related complications, enhance patients' knowledge of tracking and managing the complications of diabetes, and help in maintaining the visual representation of glucose values and complications. The simplicity and usability of the modules are its novelty, which may motivate the patients to keep track of their glucose values and help them attain better health outcomes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trial Registry India CTRI/2023/03/051077; http://tinyurl.com/4tau4ndb.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

PRR1-10.2196/50732.

The characteristics and acceptance of Technology-Enabled diabetes prevention programs (t-DPP) amongst individuals with prediabetes: A scoping review

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

As rising global prevalence of diabetes burdens an overstrained healthcare system, it would be prudent to employ primary prevention strategies. This review aims to detail characteristics of technology-enabled diabetes prevention programs (t-DPP) and the technology acceptance amongst prediabetic individuals.

DESIGN

A scoping review.

REVIEW METHODS

Summative and direct content analysis.

DATA SOURCES

Seven electronic databases-PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science-were searched from inception till 9 June 2022 for primary studies conducted on t-DPP. Initial search identified 2412 unique articles. Removal of duplicates and irrelevant articles resulted in 58 full text articles screened and 17 articles meeting the eligibility criteria. There was no limitation to study type or year of publication, but language was limited to English.

RESULTS

Common t-DPP characteristics include physical activity (n = 17), diet control (n = 16), coaching (n = 12), social support (n = 9) and skills acquisition (n = 12). Technological acceptance of t-DPPs were generally positive as participants found them useful (n = 5) and easy to use (n = 4), with majority of the participants interested (n = 5) and engaging well with it (n = 13). However, personal-, design- and technological-level factors were found to negatively influence t-DPPs acceptance.

CONCLUSION

This review reported a generally positive technological acceptance. The result encourages remote delivery of diabetes prevention programs, offering researchers a guide to t-DPP development. However, it also highlights the need for integration of behavioural change theories and socio-cultural considerations, with gaps in knowledge amongst men and young adults.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

The success of t-DPP can reinforce clinical advice and sustain health behaviours advocated by nurses. Involvement of diabetes-trained nurses would enable continual risk assessment, monitoring and timely intervention to prevent diabetes and potential complications.

REPORTING METHOD

PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Asia-Pacific Perspectives on the Role of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Optimizing Diabetes Management

Diabetes is prevalent, and it imposes a substantial public health burden globally and in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The cornerstone for optimizing diabetes management and treatment outcomes is glucose monitoring, the techniques of which have evolved from self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) to glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Contextual differences with Western populations and limited regionally generated clinical evidence warrant regional standards of diabetes care, including glucose monitoring in APAC. Hence, the APAC Diabetes Care Advisory Board convened to gather insights into clinician-reported CGM utilization for optimized glucose monitoring and diabetes management in the region. We discuss the findings from a pre-meeting survey and an expert panel meeting regarding glucose monitoring patterns and influencing factors, patient profiles for CGM initiation and continuation, CGM benefits, and CGM optimization challenges and potential solutions in APAC. While CGM is becoming the new standard of care and a useful adjunct to HbA1c and SMBG globally, glucose monitoring type, timing, and frequency should be individualized according to local and patient-specific contexts. The results of this APAC survey guide methods for the formulation of future APAC-specific consensus guidelines for the application of CGM in people living with diabetes.

Reducing the Cost of Diabetes Care with Telemedicine, Smartphone, and Home Monitoring

The effect of an increasing diabetes population has resulted in escalated costs and overburdened physicians. The increase in cost is not due to the disease per se, but because of its largely preventable complications. Patient-friendly technologies are proven to significantly reduce complications and thereby cost, but seldom practised. Telemedicine is increasingly being utilized in diabetology to improve access to health care, quality of care, and clinical/psychosocial outcomes in patients with diabetes (PWD). In PWD, patient-physician interactions are essential for improving health outcomes and preventing long-term complications. Smartphones are one of the basic modalities for telemedicine application. Mobile phone messaging applications, including text messaging and multimedia message service, could offer a convenient and cost-effective way to support desirable health behaviors. There are diabetes-related mobile apps mainly focusing on self-management of diabetes, lifestyle modification, and medication adherence motivation. With the widespread availability of high-speed Internet, remote monitoring has also become popular. Home monitoring of blood glucose and blood pressure, wearable devices, and continuous glucose monitoring also play a vital role in bringing down the long‑term vascular complications of diabetes and thereby reduce the overall cost and improve the quality of life of patients. There are hundreds of tech platforms for diabetes management, of which only a few with proven efficacy and safety are recommended by physicians.

Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Technology Acceptance and Its Applications

Technological innovation has become an integral aspect of our daily life, such as wearable and information technology, virtual reality and the Internet of Things which have contributed to transforming healthcare business and operations. Patients will now have a broader range and more mindful healthcare choices and experience a new era of healthcare with a patient-centric culture. Digital transformation determines personal and institutional health care. This paper aims to analyse the changes taking place in the field of healthcare due to digital transformation. For this purpose, a systematic bibliographic review is performed, utilising Scopus, Science Direct and PubMed databases from 2008 to 2021. Our methodology is based on the approach by Wester and Watson, which classify the related articles based on a concept-centric method and an ad hoc classification system which identify the categories used to describe areas of literature. The search was made during August 2022 and identified 5847 papers, of which 321 fulfilled the inclusion criteria for further process. Finally, by removing and adding additional studies, we ended with 287 articles grouped into five themes: information technology in health, the educational impact of e-health, the acceptance of e-health, telemedicine and security issues.

Improvement in glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with treatment using an interactive mobile application - A pilot study from India

AIMS

We studied the outcome of glycaemic management using Diahome, a smart-phone application compared to conventional treatment. Overall acceptability of the application among users was also assessed.

METHODS

This is a retrospective, case-control study of patients on virtual diabetes care using the Diahome app (n = 441) and those visited the hospital out-patient services (n = 446) between April and June 2021. Men and women aged 45-60 years with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were selected.

RESULTS

A total of 173 records with initial and follow-up visits were analyzed (app users n = 91, non-app users n = 82). Participants were aged 59 ± 12 years and were obese. The two groups were similar by age, gender distribution and duration of T2DM. Fasting blood glucose significantly reduced only among the app-users from a baseline level of 156 ± 70 mg/dl to 129 ± 40 mg/dl at follow-up (p < 0.02). Reduction in HbA1c levels was observed in both groups (p < 0.0001); percentage improvement was better among app (15.8%) than in non-app users (10.4%), p = 0.004. Triglycerides level were higher at both time points among app-users (p < 0.05) as compared to the other group. More than 56% of the users rated the performance of Diahome app as excellent; virtual consultation was rated the highest (71.5%) among the Diahome services.

DISCUSSION

Glycaemic management of diabetes using a dedicated mobile application was superior to in-person hospital visits. Its long-term effectiveness and cost savings need to be ascertained.