Associations between adoption of eHealth management module and optimal control of HbA1c in diabetes patients

Junjie Huang; Sze Chai Chan; Samantha Ko; Ellen Tong; Clement S K Cheung; Wing Nam Wong; Ngai Tseung Cheung; Martin C S Wong

doi:10.1038/s41746-023-00807-w

Associations between adoption of eHealth management module and optimal control of HbA1c in diabetes patients

NPJ Digit Med. 2023 Apr 13;6(1):67. doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00807-w.

Authors

Junjie Huang^{1

2}, Sze Chai Chan¹, Samantha Ko¹, Ellen Tong³, Clement S K Cheung³, Wing Nam Wong³, Ngai Tseung Cheung³, Martin C S Wong^{4

5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
² Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
³ Information Technology and Health Informatics Division, Hospital Authority, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁴ JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk.
⁵ Centre for Health Education and Health Promotion, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk.
⁶ School of Public Health, The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China. wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk.
⁷ School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China. wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk.

Abstract

In January 2021, the eHealth App was launched in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong government to support the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHRSS). A Health Management Module in the eHealth App introduced new functions to record blood pressure, blood sugar, and heart rate, and downloading and sharing records. This study aims to compare the level of glycaemic control between users of the eHealth App and non-users. Type 2 diabetes patients who have joined the eHRSS with existing haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level records are recruited. Correlations between predictors and optimal HbA1c control (<7%) are examined using logistic regression analyses. A total of 109,823 participants are included, with 76,356 non-users of eHealth App, 31,723 users of eHealth App, and 1744 users of the eHealth Management Module together with the App. We collect HbA1c values from Jan 2021 to May 2022, and they are 6 months after the use of the App on average. Users of the eHealth Management Module are found to have more optimal HbA1c levels across all subgroups, with the strongest effect observed in younger females (aOR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.27-2.17). eHealth App usage is also positively associated with optimal HbA1c levels, particularly amongst younger females (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.08-1.26). Overall, users of eHealth App and eHealth Management Module demonstrate more optimal HbA1c levels when compared with non-users, particularly among younger adults and females. These findings support its potential adoption in diabetes patients. Future studies should examine the impact of eHealth interventions on other clinical targets and diabetes complications.