Healthc Inform Res.  2014 Jul;20(3):226-230. 10.4258/hir.2014.20.3.226.

HealthTWITTER Initiative: Design of a Social Networking Service Based Tailored Application for Diabetes Self-Management

• Kim HH
• Seo HJ

• KMID: 2284586
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2014.20.3.226

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
Diabetes is a chronic disease of continuously increasing prevalence. It is a disease with risks of serious complications, thus warranting its long-term management. However, current health management and education programs for diabetes mainly consist of one-way communication, and systematic social support backup to solve diabetics' emotional problems is insufficient.
METHODS
According to individual behavioral changes based on the Transtheoretical Model, we designed a non-drug intervention, including exercise, and applied it to a mobile based application. For effective data sharing between patients and physicians, we adopted an SNS function for our application in order to offer a social support environment.
RESULTS
To induce continual and comprehensive care for diabetes, rigorous self-management is essential during the diabetic's life; this is possible through a collaborative patient-physician healthcare model. We designed and developed an SNS-based diabetes self-management mobile application that supports the use of social groups, which are present in three social GYM types. With simple testing of patients in their 20s and 30s, we were able to validate the usefulness of our application.
CONCLUSIONS
Mobile gadget-based chronic disease symptom management and intervention has the merit that health management can be conducted anywhere and anytime in order to cope with increases in the demand for health and medical services that are occurring due to the aging of the population and to cope with the surge of national medical service costs. This patient-driven and SNS-based intervention program is expected to contribute to promoting the health management habits of diabetics, who need to constantly receive health guidance.

Keyword

Mobile Health; Social Support; Intervention Studies; Diabetes Mellitus; Self Care

MeSH Terms

Aging
Chronic Disease
Clinical Trial
Delivery of Health Care
Diabetes Mellitus
Education
Humans
Information Dissemination
Mobile Applications
Prevalence
Self Care*
Telemedicine

Figure

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  Figure 1 The HealthTWITTER user interface: (A) login screen where only authorized (registered) users can use the application, (B) the main menu bar representing three major functions (it pops up from the left side), (C) the intervention function menu composed of 'Intervention Status,' 'My Mission,' 'Today's Mission,' and 'Social Group Status.'

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  Figure 2 Algorithm for exercise assessment.

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