PMID- 31636719
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20220410
IS  - 1758-5996 (Print)
IS  - 1758-5996 (Electronic)
IS  - 1758-5996 (Linking)
VI  - 11
DP  - 2019
TI  - Mobile phone applications and their use in the self-management of Type 2 Diabetes 
      Mellitus: a qualitative study among app users and non-app users.
PG  - 84
LID - 10.1186/s13098-019-0480-4 [doi]
LID - 84
AB  - BACKGROUND: Mobile phone applications (apps) have been shown to successfully 
      facilitate the self-management of chronic disease. This study aims to evaluate 
      firstly the experiences, barriers and facilitators to app usage among people with 
      Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and secondly determine recommendations to improve 
      usage of diabetes apps. METHODS: Participants were aged >/= 18 years with a 
      diagnosis of T2DM for >/= 6 months. Semi-structured phone-interviews were conducted 
      with 16 app and 14 non-app users. Interviews were based on the Technology 
      Acceptance Model, Health Information Technology Acceptance Model (HITAM) and the 
      Mobile Application Rating Scale. Data were analysed using deductive content 
      analysis. RESULTS: Most app-users found apps improved their T2DM self-management 
      and health. The recommendation of apps by health professionals, as well as 
      positive interactions with them, improved satisfaction; however, only a minority 
      of patients had practitioners involved in their app use. All non-app users had 
      never had the concept discussed with them by a health professional. Facilitators 
      to app use included the visual representation of trends, intuitive navigation and 
      convenience (for example, discretion and portability). Barriers to app use were 
      participant's lack of knowledge and awareness of apps as healthcare tools, 
      perceptions of disease severity, technological and health literacy or practical 
      limitations such as rural connectivity. Factors contributing to app use were 
      classified into a framework based on the Health Belief Model and HITAM. 
      Recommendations for future app design centred on educational features, which were 
      currently lacking (e.g. diabetes complications, including organ damage and 
      hypoglycaemic episodes), monitoring and tracking features (e.g. blood glucose 
      level monitoring with trends and dynamic tips and comorbidities) and nutritional 
      features (e.g. carbohydrate counters). Medication reminders were not used by 
      participants. Lastly, participants felt that receiving weekly text-messaging 
      relating to their self-management would be appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: The 
      incorporation of user-centred features, which engage T2DM consumers in 
      self-management tasks, can improve health outcomes. The findings may guide app 
      developers and entrepreneurs in improving app design and usability. Given 
      self-management is a significant factor in glycaemic control, these findings are 
      significant for GPs, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals who may 
      integrate apps into a holistic management plan which considers strategies outside 
      the clinical environment.
CI  - (c) The Author(s) 2019.
FAU - Jeffrey, Bronte
AU  - Jeffrey B
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Bagala, Melina
AU  - Bagala M
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Creighton, Ashley
AU  - Creighton A
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Leavey, Tayla
AU  - Leavey T
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Nicholls, Sarah
AU  - Nicholls S
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Wood, Crystal
AU  - Wood C
AD  - 1Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: 
      grid.1029.a
FAU - Longman, Jo
AU  - Longman J
AD  - 2University of Sydney, University Centre for Rural Health, Sydney, Australia. 
      ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 834X. GRID: grid.1013.3
FAU - Barker, Jane
AU  - Barker J
AD  - 2University of Sydney, University Centre for Rural Health, Sydney, Australia. 
      ISNI: 0000 0004 1936 834X. GRID: grid.1013.3
FAU - Pit, Sabrina
AU  - Pit S
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-2410-0703
AD  - 3Western Sydney University, University Centre for Rural Health, 61 Uralba Street, 
      Lismore, NSW 2480 Australia. ISNI: 0000 0000 9939 5719. GRID: grid.1029.a
AD  - 4School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. ISNI: 0000 0004 
      1936 834X. GRID: grid.1013.3
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20191016
PL  - England
TA  - Diabetol Metab Syndr
JT  - Diabetology & metabolic syndrome
JID - 101488958
PMC - PMC6794726
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Digital technology
OT  - Mobile phone apps
OT  - Self-management
OT  - Smart phone
OT  - Type two diabetes mellitus
OT  - User experience
OT  - ehealth
OT  - mhealth
COIS- Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.
EDAT- 2019/10/23 06:00
MHDA- 2019/10/23 06:01
PMCR- 2019/10/16
CRDT- 2019/10/23 06:00
PHST- 2019/06/03 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2019/10/09 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2019/10/23 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2019/10/23 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2019/10/23 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2019/10/16 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 480 [pii]
AID - 10.1186/s13098-019-0480-4 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2019 Oct 16;11:84. doi: 10.1186/s13098-019-0480-4. 
      eCollection 2019.