Apart from being well equipped with knowledge and skills, patients require continuous motivation to effectively cope with diabetes ( 3), which might necessitate a personalized and comprehensive approach from health-care professionals and health information technology. Specifically, diabetes self-management improves health outcome by helping lifestyle modifications including exercise, diet, and medication adherence ( 5). Consistent self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) has been shown to improve glycemic control, delaying complications of diabetes, and thus reducing hospitalizations ( 4). Diabetes self-management refers to personal actions toward handling the conditions and slowing the progress of the disease ( 3). Managing patients with chronic diseases is challenging as diabetic patients require knowledge and skills in understanding the needs of medical care, and thus diabetes self-management is crucial, as part of a patient’s commitment to preventing disease complications ( 1). There were up to 3.3 million cases of diabetes in Malaysia in 2015 ( 2). Approximately 37% of the population (153 million people) live with diabetes in the Western Pacific Region, which is predicted to increase to 215 million by 2040 ( 2). As reported by the International Diabetes Federation, in 2015, 415 million of the world’s population have diabetes globally. In the future, the design of apps could be improved to integrate patients’ needs, usability for disease management, and lifestyle modifications.ĭiabetes mellitus is often referred to as a type of metabolic disease characterized by a prolonged state of high blood glucose levels in which patients present with symptoms of frequent urination, increased thirst, and hunger ( 1). Our findings showed that the design of diabetes mobile apps focused on reporting and setting reminders, rather than providing personalized education or therapeutic support. The majority of apps were free, required no Internet connectivity to use and were less than 50 MB in size. Of the 8 evaluated features, only 11 (31.4%) apps had a score of 5 whereas 7 (20%) apps scored the lowest, with a score of 3.
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The apps supported self-management by offering features such as free installation, less than 50 MB space used, offline use, automated data entry, data export and sharing, educational tool, and advice.
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Of 346 commercial apps, 16 (16%) and 19 (7.72%) of the diabetes apps found in Apple and Google Play stores, respectively, were included based on the selection criteria and individually scored for the availability of 8 main features of diabetes self-management. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate and compare the contents and features of mobile medical apps for diabetes self-management. Nonetheless, selecting appropriate mobile applications (apps) is challenging for patients. With the unprecedented growth of mobile technology, smartphone plays a role in supporting diabetes self-management.
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3Vector borne Diseases Research Group, Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences CoRe, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia.2Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Bertam, Malaysia.1Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia.