scholarly journals Crossing the Digital Divide in Online Self-Management Support: Analysis of Usage Data From HeLP-Diabetes (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoba Poduval ◽  
Saddif Ahmed ◽  
Louise Marston ◽  
Fiona Hamilton ◽  
Elizabeth Murray
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
Minority Ethnic

BACKGROUND Digital health is increasingly recognized as a cost-effective means to support patient self-care. However, there are concerns about whether the “digital divide,” defined as the gap between those who do and do not make regular use of digital technologies, will lead to increased health inequalities. Access to the internet, computer literacy, motivation to use digital health interventions, and fears about internet security are barriers to use of digital health interventions. Some of these barriers disproportionately affect people of older age, black or minority ethnic background, and low socioeconomic status. HeLP-Diabetes (Healthy Living for People with type 2 Diabetes), a theoretically informed online self-management program for adults with type 2 diabetes, was developed to meet the needs of people from a broad demographic background. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine whether there was evidence of a digital divide when HeLP-Diabetes was integrated into routine care. This was achieved by (1) comparing the characteristics of people who registered for the program against the target population (people with type 2 diabetes in inner London), (2) comparing the characteristics of people who registered for the program and used it with those who did not use it, and (3) comparing sections of the website visited by different demographic groups. METHODS A retrospective analysis of data on the use of HeLP-Diabetes in routine clinical practice in 4 inner London clinical commissioning groups was undertaken. Data were collected from patients who registered for the program as part of routine health services.. Data on gender, age, ethnicity, and educational attainment were collected at registration, and data on webpage visits (user identification number, date, time, and page visited) were collected automatically by software on the server side of the website. RESULTS The characteristics of people who registered for the program were found to reflect those of the target population. The mean age was 58.4 years (SD=28.0), over 50.0% were from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and nearly a third (29.8%) had no qualifications beyond school leaving age. There was no association between demographic characteristics and use of the program, apart from weak evidence of less use by the mixed ethnicity group. There was no evidence of the differential use of the program by any demographic group, apart from weak evidence for people with degrees and school leavers being more likely to use the “Living and working with diabetes” (P=.03) and “Treating diabetes” (P=.04) sections of the website. CONCLUSIONS This study is one of the first to provide evidence that a digital health intervention can be integrated into routine health services without widening health inequalities. The relative success of the intervention may be attributed to integration into routine health care, and careful design with extensive user input and consideration of literacy levels. Developers of digital health interventions need to acknowledge barriers to access and use, and collect data on the demographic profile of users, to address inequalities.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Persons With Type 2 Diabetes Treated in Swedish Primary Health Care: Qualitative Study on Using eHealth Services for Self-Management Support (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Öberg ◽  
Ulf Isaksson ◽  
Lena Jutterström ◽  
Carl Johan Orre ◽  
Åsa Hörnsten
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Ehealth Services

BACKGROUND Digital health services are increasing rapidly worldwide. Strategies to involve patients in self-monitoring of type 2 diabetes (T2D) on a daily basis is of crucial importance, and there is a need to optimize the delivery of care such as self-management support. Digitalized solutions have the potential to modify and personalize the way in which people use primary health services, both by increasing access to information and providing other forms of support at a distance. It is a challenge to integrate core values of person-centered care into digitalized health care services. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to describe perceptions of using electronic health (eHealth) services and related technologies for self-management support among people with T2D treated in Swedish primary health care. METHODS This is a qualitative study based on interviews analyzed using qualitative content analysis conducted among people diagnosed with T2D. RESULTS Findings suggest that the participants had mixed feelings regarding the use of digital health services for self-management support. They experienced potentials such as increased involvement, empowerment, and security, as well as concerns such as ambivalence and uncertainty. CONCLUSIONS Digital health services for self-management are easily accessible and have the potential to reach a wide population. However, targeted training to increase digital skills is required, and personalized devices must be adapted and become more person-centered to improve patients’ involvement in their own care.

scholarly journals Digital Health Interventions for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Qualitative Study of Patient Perspectives on Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingshuk Pal ◽  
Charlotte Dack ◽  
Jamie Ross ◽  
Susan Michie ◽  
Carl May ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Behavioral Support ◽  
Care Services

BACKGROUND The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing globally, and health services in many countries are struggling with the morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with the complications of this long-term condition. Diabetes self-management education (DSME) and behavioral support can reduce the risks of developing diabetes-related complications and improve glycemic control. However, their uptake is low. Digital health interventions (DHI) can provide sustained support and may overcome challenges associated with attending diabetes self-management sessions. They have the potential for delivery at multiple locations at convenient times, anonymity, and presentation of content in attractive and tailored formats. This study investigates the needs and wants of patients with type 2 diabetes to inform the development of digital self-management education and support. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore patient perspectives on unmet needs for self-management and support and the role of DHI in adults living with type 2 diabetes. METHODS This study used a qualitative approach based on data generated from 4 focus groups with 20 patients. RESULTS The data generated by the focus groups illustrated the significant burden that the diagnosis of diabetes places on many patients and the negative impacts on their emotional well-being, work, social life, and physical health. Although patients’ experiences of the health care services varied, there was agreement that even the best services were unable to meet all users’ needs to support the emotional regulation, psychological adjustment, and behavioral changes needed for successful self-management. CONCLUSIONS By focusing on medical management and information provision, existing health care services and education programs may not be adequately meeting all the needs of patients with type 2 diabetes. DHIs have the potential to improve access to DSME and behavioral support and extend the range of content offered by health services to fit with a wider range of patient needs. Features that could help DHIs address some of the unmet needs described by participants in this study included placing an emphasis on emotional and role management, being available at all times, having up-to-date evidence-based guidance for patients, and providing access to peer-generated and professional advice.

scholarly journals Digital Person-Centered Self-Management Support for People With Type 2 Diabetes: Qualitative Study Exploring Design Challenges

JMIR Diabetes ◽  
10.2196/10702 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. e10702
Author(s):  
Robyn Schimmer ◽  
Carljohan Orre ◽  
Ulrika Öberg ◽  
Karin Danielsson ◽  
Åsa Hörnsten
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Ehealth Service

Background Self-management is a substantial part of treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Modern digital technology, being small, available, and ubiquitous, might work well in supporting self-management. This study follows the process of developing a pilot implementation of an electronic health (eHealth) service for T2D self-management support in primary health care. The use of digital health, or eHealth, solutions for supporting self-management for patients with T2D is increasing. There are good examples of successful implementations that can serve as guides in the development of new solutions. However, when adding person-centered principles as a requirement, the examples are scarce. Objective The objective of this study was to explore challenges that could impact the design of a person-centered eHealth service for T2D self-management support. The study included data collection from multiple sources, that is, interviews, observations, focus groups, and a Mentimeter (interactive presentation with polling) survey among stakeholders, representing various perspectives of T2D. Methods A user-centered design approach was used to exploratively collect data from different sources. Data were collected from a workshop, interviews, and observations. The different data sources enabled a triangulation of data. Results Results show that user needs related to an eHealth service for person-centered T2D self-management support are multifaceted and situated in a complex context. The two main user groups, patients and diabetes specialist nurses, express needs that both diverge and converge, which indicates that critical design decisions have to be made. There is also a discrepancy between the needs expressed by the potential users and the current work practice, suggesting more attention toward changing the organization of work to fully support a new eHealth service. Conclusions A total of three overarching challenges—flexible access, reducing administrative tasks, and patient empowerment—each having a significant impact on design, are discussed. These challenges need to be considered and resolved through careful design decisions. Special attention has to be given to the patient user group that could greatly impact current work practice and power structures at the primary care unit. A need for further studies investigating patient needs in everyday life is identified to better support the implementation of technology that does not give specific attention to organizational perspectives but instead approach design with the patient perspective in focus.

scholarly journals A socioecological perspective : the "ups and downs" of living with type 2 diabetes among working adults in the rural south

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lynn E. Glenn
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Preventive Health Services ◽  
Patient Activation ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Working Adults

Persons with higher patient activation levels are more likely to engage in preventive health behaviors. This qualitative study addressed a population that may be particularly vulnerable to poor diabetes outcomes: rural, working adults with type 2 diabetes (T2 DM) with low levels of patient activation. This study sought to gain a better understanding of the individual, interpersonal, health system, and community spheres of influence on engagement in diabetes self-management and recommended preventive health services among rural, working adults. A socioecological approach, based on Fisher's (2005) Resources and Supports for Self-Management Model, guided the study. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-10) was used to identify individuals with low patient activation. Participants (N = 20) had PAM-10 scores less than 75 (M = 59.4) and were predominately African American (n = 12) and female (n = 14), earning incomes less than $50,000 (n = 13). The overarching theme, "ups and downs" of living with diabetes, emerged from the data. Four other major themes emerged: "the struggle", "you don't talk about it", "diabetes is not the priority", and "we're lucky to have what we have". Most participants had social support, employer health benefits, and a trusting, satisfactory relationship with health care providers. However, a lack of equitable workplace and community resources may have contributed to lack of engagement in diabetes self-management and preventive health services.

scholarly journals Using Intervention Mapping to Develop a Digital Self-Management Program for People With Type 2 Diabetes: Tutorial on MyDESMOND (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Hadjiconstantinou ◽  
Sally Schreder ◽  
Christopher Brough ◽  
Alison Northern ◽  
Bernie Stribling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Chronic Conditions ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Intervention Mapping ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks

UNSTRUCTURED Digital health interventions (DHIs) are increasingly becoming integrated into diabetes self-management to improve behavior. Despite DHIs becoming available to people with chronic conditions, the development strategies and processes undertaken are often not well described. With theoretical frameworks available in current literature, it is vital that DHIs follow a shared language and communicate a robust development process in a comprehensive way. This paper aims to bring a unique perspective to digital development, as it describes the systematic process of developing a digital self-management program for people with type 2 diabetes, MyDESMOND. We provide a step-by-step guide, based on the intervention mapping (IM) framework to illustrate the process of adapting an existing face-to-face self-management program (diabetes education and self- management for ongoing and newly diagnosed, DESMOND) and translating it to a digital platform (MyDESMOND). Overall, this paper describes the 4 IM steps that were followed to develop MyDESMOND—step 1 to establish a planning group and a patient and public involvement group to describe the context of the intervention and program goals, step 2 to identify objectives and determinants at early design stages to maintain a focus on the strategies adopted, step 3 to generate the program components underpinned by appropriate psychological theories and models, and step 4 to develop the program content and describe the iterative process of refining the content and format of the digital program for implementation. This paper concludes with a number of key learnings collated throughout our development process, which we hope other researchers may find useful when developing DHIs for chronic conditions.

scholarly journals Digital Person-Centered Self-Management Support for People With Type 2 Diabetes: Qualitative Study Exploring Design Challenges (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Schimmer ◽  
Carljohan Orre ◽  
Ulrika Öberg ◽  
Karin Danielsson ◽  
Åsa Hörnsten
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Design Decisions ◽  
Ehealth Service

BACKGROUND Self-management is a substantial part of treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Modern digital technology, being small, available, and ubiquitous, might work well in supporting self-management. This study follows the process of developing a pilot implementation of an electronic health (eHealth) service for T2D self-management support in primary health care. The use of digital health, or eHealth, solutions for supporting self-management for patients with T2D is increasing. There are good examples of successful implementations that can serve as guides in the development of new solutions. However, when adding person-centered principles as a requirement, the examples are scarce. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to explore challenges that could impact the design of a person-centered eHealth service for T2D self-management support. The study included data collection from multiple sources, that is, interviews, observations, focus groups, and a Mentimeter (interactive presentation with polling) survey among stakeholders, representing various perspectives of T2D. METHODS A user-centered design approach was used to exploratively collect data from different sources. Data were collected from a workshop, interviews, and observations. The different data sources enabled a triangulation of data. RESULTS Results show that user needs related to an eHealth service for person-centered T2D self-management support are multifaceted and situated in a complex context. The two main user groups, patients and diabetes specialist nurses, express needs that both diverge and converge, which indicates that critical design decisions have to be made. There is also a discrepancy between the needs expressed by the potential users and the current work practice, suggesting more attention toward changing the organization of work to fully support a new eHealth service. CONCLUSIONS A total of three overarching challenges—flexible access, reducing administrative tasks, and patient empowerment—each having a significant impact on design, are discussed. These challenges need to be considered and resolved through careful design decisions. Special attention has to be given to the patient user group that could greatly impact current work practice and power structures at the primary care unit. A need for further studies investigating patient needs in everyday life is identified to better support the implementation of technology that does not give specific attention to organizational perspectives but instead approach design with the patient perspective in focus.

scholarly journals Application of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Evidence Standards Framework for Digital Health Technologies in Assessing Mobile-Delivered Technologies for the Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Scoping Review

JMIR Diabetes ◽  
10.2196/23687 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e23687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica R Forsyth ◽  
Hannah Chase ◽  
Nia W Roberts ◽  
Laura C Armitage ◽  
Andrew J Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Minimum Standards

Background There is a growing role of digital health technologies (DHTs) in the management of chronic health conditions, specifically type 2 diabetes. It is increasingly important that health technologies meet the evidence standards for health care settings. In 2019, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the NICE Evidence Standards Framework for DHTs. This provides guidance for evaluating the effectiveness and economic value of DHTs in health care settings in the United Kingdom. Objective The aim of this study is to assess whether scientific articles on DHTs for the self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus report the evidence suggested for implementation in clinical practice, as described in the NICE Evidence Standards Framework for DHTs. Methods We performed a scoping review of published articles and searched 5 databases to identify systematic reviews and primary studies of mobile device–delivered DHTs that provide self-management support for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The evidence reported within articles was assessed against standards described in the NICE framework. Results The database search yielded 715 systematic reviews, of which, 45 were relevant and together included 59 eligible primary studies. Within these, there were 39 unique technologies. Using the NICE framework, 13 technologies met best practice standards, 3 met minimum standards only, and 23 technologies did not meet minimum standards. Conclusions On the assessment of peer-reviewed publications, over half of the identified DHTs did not appear to meet the minimum evidence standards recommended by the NICE framework. The most common reasons for studies of DHTs not meeting these evidence standards included the absence of a comparator group, no previous justification of sample size, no measurable improvement in condition-related outcomes, and a lack of statistical data analysis. This report provides information that will enable researchers and digital health developers to address these limitations when designing, delivering, and reporting digital health technology research in the future.

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