Overcoming the struggle of living with type 2 diabetes – diabetes specialist nurses’ and patients’ perspectives on digital interventions

Abstract

Background Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is a cornerstone in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). It is unclear whether delivering DSMES as a digital health intervention (DHI) might meet the needs experienced by patients with T2DM and diabetes specialist nurses (DSN) of the primary health care system in Sweden. Methods Fourteen patients with T2DM and four DSN participated in three separate focus groups: two groups comprised patients and one group comprised DSN. The patients discussed the questions: “What needs did you experience after your T2DM diagnosis?” and “How might these needs be met with a DHI?” The DSN discussed the questions: “What needs do you experience when treating a patient with newly diagnosed T2DM?” and “How might these needs be met with a DHI?”. Furthermore, data were collected in the form of field notes from group discussions at a meeting including 18 DSNs working with T2DM in PHCCs. The discussions from focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analyzed together with the field notes from the meeting using inductive content analysis. Results The analysis yielded the overall theme: “Overcoming the struggle of living with T2DM”, which was summarized in two categories: “learning and being prepared” and “giving and receiving support”. Important findings were that, for success, a DHI for DSMES must be integrated into routine care, provide structured, high-quality information, suggest tasks to stimulate behavioral changes, and provide feedback from the DSN to the patient. Conclusion This study highlighted several important aspects, from the perspectives of both the patient with T2DM and the DSN, which should be taken into consideration for the successful development and use of a DHI for DSMES.

Digital Interventions for Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

“…A recent survey showed that the standard of care in T2DM, although generally acceptable, cannot meet the variety of patients' needs in terms of accessibility and timeliness of psychological, emotional, and behavioral support [4]. This unmet need can be alleviated by a wider use of digital technologies designed to help patients with their lifestyle and health-related decisions through making accessible critical data and on-demand consultations [5]. The technologies for managing T2DM include medical devices such as glucose meters, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and connected insulin pens; digital interventions including mobile smartphone applications (apps), text messaging, electronic communications, and video conference platforms; and wearable technologies for monitoring health, such as activity trackers, sleep trackers, and smartwatches [6,7].…”