“Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mobile Health (mHealth) Interventions in Managing Type 2 Diabetes”

Abstract

“Diabetes type 2” is one of the most widespread chronic diseases which is characterized by the necessity to keep the blood glucose level under control and strictly adhere to the medication and diet regimen. This paper assesses the effect of the “mHealth” interventions in the treatment of the disease. The study design used in the study was a randomized controlled trial and the subjects were randomly assigned into the mHealth intervention group and the control group which received routine treatment. The aspects of the intervention were; taking of blood glucose level, administration of the prescription, and the meeting with the doctor. At the end of the study which was after 6 months the mHealth group had reduced their blood glucose level by 1.2 mmol/L and the reduction of HbA1c by 0.8%, p < 0.01 compared to the control group while the mHealth group had 85% medication compliance and an improvement of 5 points in the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL). Such conclusions imply that there is a great potential for mHealth tools to increase the ability of diabetes care through the effectiveness of treatment and the quality of life of the patient. Further research work is required to determine the sustainability of these interventions and their availability to the target group.