Design, construction, and implementation of an online platform for patients with type 1 diabetes: EncoDiab

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to develop, build, and implement a virtual platform equipped with practical tools, relevant contents, and communication rooms, with the aim of facilitating patients’ self-management of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Materials and methodsThe design of the platform was based on the suggestions of T1DM patients who were being managed at two reference hospitals. Patients’ needs and preferences were identified in group discussion sessions. Before having access to the platform, patients underwent a baseline assessment, which included physical examination and the administration of validated questionnaires for evaluation of clinical background, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and well-being.ResultsA total of 33 patients were included in the study; 54.5% of them were men, their median age was 34 (18–50) years, the median duration of diabetes was 15 (1–38) years, and the median A1C was 7.4% (6%–12.6%). Based on their suggestions and requests, the online platform EncoDiab was built and organized into four domains: a personal domain, two domains shared by the patients and the staff of each of the two participating hospitals, and one domain that was accessible to all participants. The platform included practical tools (a body mass index calculator, a carbohydrate counting tool, and an insulin-dose calculator), a library with relevant information (documents on prevention and treatment of acute complications, nutrition, exercise, etc), and a chat room.ConclusionAlthough the study is still ongoing, our current results demonstrate the feasibility of building and implementing an online platform for helping T1DM patients in the self-management of their disease in the public health setting.

ViDa1: The Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

“…However, it did not prove sensitive to change in patients with type 1 diabetes participating in a virtual platform designed to facilitate self-management (Alvarado-Martel et al, 2015a). …”

“…The ADDQol has shown validity for discriminating between patients with type 2 diabetes receiving insulin or oral drugs and between those with better or worse glycemic control (Sundaram et al, 2007 ) and has shown sensitivity to change following a therapeutic education program (DAFNE Study Group, 2002 ). However, it did not prove sensitive to change in patients with type 1 diabetes participating in a virtual platform designed to facilitate self-management (Alvarado-Martel et al, 2015a ).…”

Telemedicine Services for Emerging Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

“…several telemedicine systems exist, very few multi-component T1D telemedicine systems targeting emerging adults have been described in the literature, and those that are reported are not fully comprehensive technology-based systems [15][16][17][18][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Additionally, demographic data on race or ethnicity were not presented in any of the papers reviewed.…”