AI-Driven Smart Phone Applications Aid in the Management of Diabetic Outcomes

In this fast-moving world, where we struggle to monitor our own lives, these smart phone applications have come to our rescue. They aid us in keeping track of our lifestyle and also help us in monitoring and managing chronic diseases like diabetes. There are many diabetes-related mobile applications that mainly focus on self-management of diabetes, lifestyle modification, and medication adherence motivation (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Smartphone-Based Technology in Diabetes Management

Go to source).

Advertisement

What is a Diabetes Application?

A diabetes app is a software program that helps people manage their diabetes. Some apps provide management tools for glucose tracking, while others are helpful for monitoring carbs and physical activity.

These smart phone applications allow you to add your diabetes values quickly and easily to keep track of blood sugar, carbohydrates, and insulin. It will provide a graphic representation of the diabetic values, food intake, and nutritional value and will also help in figuring out steps that can be taken next, such as doing a blood or urine test, changing your exercise regimen, modifying the food intake, or taking insulin. These applications also provide people with diabetes with an opportunity to make decisions about activity and diet while supporting the calculation of the caloric and nutritional value of different meals.

Some applications also offer the functionality of ‘virtual behavioral coaching,’ where a virtual coach, either human or AI, reads entered data and gives personalized recommendations in real time.

Advertisement

How do These Diabetes Application Help Patients?

The features of these applications are designed to facilitate behavioral change.
The main aim of these applications is to increase the patient’s self-management skills in chronic diseases, facilitate communication between the patient and healthcare providers, and increase the patient’s compliance with the treatment.

There is a plethora of clinical evidence and research studies emphasizing that behavior is the driving force and key to improved health outcomes in diabetes. It is suggested that 30–50% of overall diabetes control is due to behavioral change. Interventions modifying diabetes management behavior can significantly lower the outcome of diabetes in a patient (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Effective strategies for encouraging behavior change in people with diabetes

Go to source).

Adding virtual coach functionality has shown more promising results than a simple application for psycho-social support, glycemic control, and behavior changes due to data-driven personalization that facilitates better engagement of users and higher satisfaction.

According to studies, personalization is the key to modern medicine, including diabetes management, whether therapeutic or self-managed. Self-management applications should not be based on a one-size-fits-all approach; instead, they should be designed with a one-size-does-not-fit-all approach.

Advertisement

Best Smart Phone Applications for Diabetic Patients

Eight high-quality apps are publicly available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for free (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Smartphone Apps for Diabetes Medication Adherence: Systematic Review

Go to source). The following are the applications:

1. Diabetes: M
2. MySugr - Diabetes Tracker Log
3. Health2Sync
4. My Therapy Pill Reminder
5. One Drop: Transform Your Life
6. Glucose Buddy Diabetes Tracker
7. OneTouch Reveal
8. Sugarmate

We should also note that, currently, there are over 300,000 health apps available on the market that target a variety of user needs, from weight loss to the management of chronic conditions, with diabetes being the most commonly targeted condition. To date, health apps largely fall outside government regulation, and there are no official guidelines to help clinicians and patients make app selections. Patients commonly resort to the internet for suggestions on which diabetes app to use (4^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Examining Diabetes Management Apps Recommended From a Google Search: Content Analysis

Go to source).

The evolution of mobile technology provides a large number of health-related smartphone applications (apps), and through these AI smartphone technologies, patients with chronic diseases, including diabetes, can yield the maximum benefit and monitor their disease to make healthy changes accordingly.

References:

1. Smartphone-Based Technology in Diabetes Management - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31983028/)
2. Effective strategies for encouraging behavior change in people with diabetes - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6086609/)
3. Smartphone Apps for Diabetes Medication Adherence: Systematic Review - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9257622/)
4. Examining Diabetes Management Apps Recommended From a Google Search: Content Analysis - (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30303485/)

Source-Medindia