The effectiveness of using m-Health in the management and self-care of patients with diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: Systems that combine technology and web-based coaching can be beneficial for treating diabetes. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of apps in mobile health (m-Health) interventions is inconclusive due to heterogeneous interventions and varying follow-up durations.

Aim: The investigation of the effectiveness of the use of mobile health (m-Health) in the management and self-care of patients with diabetes mellitus through a systematic review of the international literature.

Material & Methods: The search of the literature articles was carried out in the online database PubMed where the following keywords were used: «diabetes mellitus glucose management», «mobile health», «diabetes and m-health», «mobile application» and «effectiveness». The selection criteria set were the following: a) studies that include clinical trials, b) studies available in full text format, and c) studies within the last 5 years.

Results: From the international literature search, 77 studies were found, of which 8 were included in the present systematic review. More specifically, it was found that the use of mobile health applications (m-Health) contributed to the improvement of glycemic results, as well as to the progress of diabetes self-management skills.

Conclusions: The above studies showed that the use of m-Health applications is quite effective in the management and self-care of diabetes mellitus, but further studies are deemed necessary to obtain reliable results.