Post-diagnosis management of diabetes through a mobile health consultation application

Abstract

Diabetes currently ranks among the highest threats to human life given the increase in the number of diagnosed cases worldwide. This sudden increase has been linked to changes in human lifestyle since the majority of cases diagnosed are that of type 2 diabetes. Mobile health (m-health) technologies are being implemented in all areas of the health industry to aid patients in their pursuit of healthier lives. The society chosen for our study has a population predominately of African descent and is in crisis, as it possesses one of the highest rates of diabetes and amputation worldwide. Work was therefore conducted to promote proactive behaviour among members of the society by placing relevant technology in their hands to take control of their health. The purpose was to determine if the development of an m-health application would influence people diagnosed with diabetes to adopt healthier lifestyles, and reduce the impact of the disease on this part of the African diaspora. A mobile application was developed based on a preliminary study of m-health application availability and people's attitudes towards mobile applications. People who had diabetes or caretakers of people with diabetes tested the mobile application over a two-week period. Average participation among all users was low but notably there were a few persons who used the application frequently. The frequent users were compliant with the expected behaviours of a diabetes patient. The other participants used the application infrequently and generally had bad health regimes.