New-Onset Diabetes Educator to Educate Children and Their Caregivers About Diabetes at the Time of Diagnosis: Usability Study

Angelina Bernier; David Fedele; Yi Guo; Sarah Chavez; Megan D Smith; Jennifer Warnick; Leora Lieberman; François Modave

doi:10.2196/diabetes.9202

New-Onset Diabetes Educator to Educate Children and Their Caregivers About Diabetes at the Time of Diagnosis: Usability Study

JMIR Diabetes. 2018 Jun 6;3(2):e10. doi: 10.2196/diabetes.9202.

Authors

Angelina Bernier¹, David Fedele², Yi Guo³, Sarah Chavez³, Megan D Smith³, Jennifer Warnick², Leora Lieberman¹, François Modave³

Affiliations

¹ Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
² Department of Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
³ Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.

Abstract

Background: Diabetes self-management education is essential at the time of diagnosis. We developed the New-Onset Diabetes Educator (NODE), an animation-based educational web application for type 1 diabetes mellitus patients.

Objective: Our hypothesis is that NODE is a feasible, effective and user-friendly intervention in improving diabetes self-management education delivery to child/caregiver-dyads at the time of diagnosis.

Methods: We used a pragmatic parallel randomized trial design. Dyads were recruited within 48 hours of diagnosis and randomized into a NODE-enhanced diabetes self-management education or a standard diabetes self-management education group. Dyads randomized in the NODE group received the intervention on an iPad before receiving the standard diabetes self-management education with a nurse educator. The Diabetes Knowledge Test 2 assessed disease-specific knowledge pre- and postintervention in both groups, and was compared using t tests. Usability of the NODE mobile health intervention was assessed in the NODE group.

Results: We recruited 16 dyads (mean child age 10.75, SD 3.44). Mean Diabetes Knowledge Test 2 scores were 14.25 (SD 4.17) and 18.13 (SD 2.17) pre- and postintervention in the NODE group, and 15.50 (SD 2.67) and 17.38 (SD 2.26) in the standard diabetes self-management education group. The effect size was medium (Δ=0.56). Usability ratings of NODE were excellent.

Conclusions: NODE is a feasible mobile health strategy for type 1 diabetes education. It has the potential to be an effective and scalable tool to enhance diabetes self-management education at time of diagnosis, and consequently, could lead to improved long-term clinical outcomes for patients living with the disease.

Keywords: diabetes education; information technology; mHealth; pediatrics.

©Angelina Bernier, David Fedele, Yi Guo, Sarah Chavez, Megan D. Smith, Jennifer Warnick, Leora Lieberman, François Modave. Originally published in JMIR Diabetes (http://diabetes.jmir.org), 06.06.2018.