Automated Personalized Self-Care program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A pilot trial

Gaeun Park; Haejung Lee; Yoonju Lee; Myoung Soo Kim; Sunyoung Jung; Ah Reum Khang; Dongwon Yi

doi:10.1016/j.anr.2024.04.003

Automated Personalized Self-Care program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A pilot trial

Asian Nurs Res (Korean Soc Nurs Sci). 2024 Apr 25:S1976-1317(24)00035-5. doi: 10.1016/j.anr.2024.04.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gaeun Park¹, Haejung Lee², Yoonju Lee³, Myoung Soo Kim⁴, Sunyoung Jung³, Ah Reum Khang⁵, Dongwon Yi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute of Nursing Science, Pusan National University, South Korea.
² College of Nursing, Pusan National University, South Korea. Electronic address: haejung@pusan.ac.kr.
³ College of Nursing, Pusan National University, South Korea.
⁴ College of Nursing, Pukyoung National University, South Korea.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, South Korea.

PMID: 38677472
DOI: 10.1016/j.anr.2024.04.003

Abstract

Purpose: Providing continuous self-care support to the growing diabetes population is challenging. Strategies are needed to enhance engagement in self-care, utilizing innovative technologies for personalized feedback. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Automated Personalized Self-Care program among type 2 diabetes patients and evaluate its preliminary effectiveness.

Methods: A parallel randomized pilot trial with qualitative interviews occurred from May 3, 2022, to September 27, 2022. Participants aged 40-69 years with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c ≥ 7.0% were recruited. The three-month program involved automated personalized goal setting, education, monitoring, and feedback. Feasibility was measured by participants' engagement and intervention usability. Preliminary effectiveness was examined through self-care self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and health outcomes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the intervention group.

Results: A total of 404 patients were screened. Out of the 61 eligible patients, 32 were enrolled, resulting in a recruitment rate of 52.5%. Retention rates at three months were 84.2% and 84.6% in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Among the intervention group, 81.3% satisfied adherence criteria. Mobile application's usability scored 66.25, and participants' satisfaction was 8.06. Intention-to-treat analysis showed improvements in self-measured blood glucose testing, grain intake, and HbA1c in the intervention group. Qualitative content analysis identified nine themes.

Conclusions: Feasibility of the program was verified. A larger randomized controlled trial is needed to determine its effectiveness in self-care self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and health outcomes among type 2 diabetes patients. This study offers insights for optimizing future trials assessing clinical effectiveness.

Trial registration: Clinical Research Information Service, KCT0008202 (registration date: 17 February 2023).

Keywords: automation; diabetes mellitus; mobile applications; self-control; self-management.