Text Messaging Means Real Changes For Your Healthcare IT Clients' Diabetic Patients

By Megan Williams, contributing writer

mHealth continues to make waves in the area of improved clinical results.

The results of a study (released last month at the American Medical Informatics Association conference in San Francisco) revealed that mobile and social have come together to help diabetic patients feel more empowered in their care decisions, and that that empowerment led to actual health improvements in a matter of weeks.

The Experiment

According to MedCity News the study was conducted over a three-month period and involved bimonthly text messages, home-based medical devices, and a Web portal. Participants saw an average decrease in weight of 3.5 pounds and a mean hemoglobin A1C level reduction from 7.41 to 6.77, according to director of the eHealth Strategy Office at the University Of British Colombia in Vancouver, Dr. Kendall Ho.

The Technology

Participants in the study were given Wi-Fi weight scales and blood pressure monitors which were used to upload data automatically to a secure website. Blood-glucose levels were self-reported from monitors already owned by participants. Continuous glucose monitoring was considered, but it turned out to be “too expensive.”

Both caregivers and patients were able to access the same data trends as the clinicians who were managing their conditions. They were also given reminders and health tips through a portal and through a text-messaging solution as well as access to a discussion board where they could communicate with other members of their study group.

The Results

Participants rated the program positively will all giving favorable ratings and a full 56 percent saying that they’d be willing to personally take on the expense of the technology used. (This would be $20 monthly after a $100 up front payment.)