Smartphones and other mobile technologies can help patients better manage diabetes, according to a new report from the eHealth Initiative, Modern Healthcare reports (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 9/20).
About the Report
The report was supported by the California HealthCare Foundation, which publishes iHealthBeat.
For the report, the authors analyzed 107 research articles that evaluated the use of mobile health tools in diabetes care.
Report Details
The report's authors identified several studies showing that mobile health technology successfully helped patients with diabetes improve their:
The report also noted that many diabetes-related social media sites "have been shown to decrease the prevalence of adverse symptoms associated with diabetes, improve health behaviors and reduce utilization of healthcare resources" (Modern Healthcare, 9/20).
Jennifer Covich Bordenick, CEO of the eHealth Initiative, said, "Research shows that the majority of patients, including those who are disadvantaged, have access to a mobile device or smartphone. These patients have tools at their fingertips to help manage their diabetes more effectively" (eHealth Initiative release, 9/20).
According to the report's authors, mobile technology aimed at helping patients manage chronic diseases is "one of the most significant health IT developments of the past five years" (Modern Healthcare, 9/20).