Diabetes Metab J.  2015 Jun;39(3):207-217. 10.4093/dmj.2015.39.3.207.

A Smartphone Application Signif icantly Improved Diabetes Self-Care Activities with High User Satisfaction

• Kim YJ
• Rhee SY
• Byun JK
• Park SY
• Hong SM
• Chin SO
• Chon S
• Oh S
• Woo JT
• Kim SW
• Kim YS

• KMID: 2281534
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2015.39.3.207

Abstract

BACKGROUND
We developed for the first time a smartphone application designed for diabetes self-management in Korea and registered a patent for the relevant algorithm. We also investigated the user satisfaction with the application and the change in diabetes related self-care activities after using the application.
METHODS
We conducted a questionnaire survey on volunteers with diabetes who were using the application. Ninety subjects responded to the questionnaire between June 2012 and March 2013. A modified version of the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) was used in this study.
RESULTS
The survey results exhibited a mean subject age of 44.0 years old, and males accounted for 78.9% of the subjects. Fifty percent of the subjects had diabetes for less than 3 years. The majority of respondents experienced positive changes in their clinical course after using the application (83.1%) and were satisfied with the structure and completeness of the application (86.7%). Additionally, the respondents' answers indicated that the application was easy to use (96.7%) and recommendable to others (97.7%) and that they would continue using the application to manage their diabetes (96.7%). After using the Diabetes Notepad application, diabetes related self-care activities assessed by SDSCA displayed statistically significant improvements (P<0.05), except for the number of days of drinking.
CONCLUSION
This smartphone-based application can be a useful tool leading to positive changes in diabetes related self-care activities and increase user satisfaction.

Keyword

Cell phones; Diabetes mellitus; Mobile applications; Self care

MeSH Terms

Cellular Phone
Surveys and Questionnaires
Diabetes Mellitus
Drinking
Humans
Korea
Male
Mobile Applications
Self Care*
Volunteers
Smartphone
Surveys and Questionnaires

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Smart phone application outline. (A) The "Diabetes Notepad" application records personal information, blood glucose levels and test records for comorbidities and includes additional features such as diabetes education materials and a cardiovascular risk calculator. (B) The application allows easy access to the saved blood glucose history through the blood glucose record sheet and a graph.

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  Fig. 2 Users of the application were widely distributed across the nation. Users were from Seoul (28.9%), Gyeonggi (24.4%), Incheon (5.6%), Gangwon (0.0%), Chungcheong (5.6%), Jeolla (5.6%), Daejeon (3.3%), Daegu (8.9%), Gwangju (2.2%), Gyeongsang (7.8%), Ulsan (2.2%), Busan (5.6%), and Jeju (0.0%).

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