Functions of mHealth Diabetes Apps That Enable the Provision of Pharmaceutical Care: Criteria Development and Evaluation of Popular Apps

Abstract

Personal digital health apps for managing diabetes should include functions that enable the provision of pharmaceutical care services and allow within-app communication with pharmacists and other healthcare providers, thereby improving patient outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to assess the functions of diabetes apps that were relevant to providing pharmaceutical care services (i.e., medication management, adherence, non-pharmacological management, interoperability, and communication). Sixteen criteria related to pharmaceutical care were developed and then used to assess ten popular diabetes apps. The highest numbers of pharmaceutical care criteria were met by the apps Diabetes:M and mySugr (11 criteria); Contour™Diabetes, Dario Health, and OneTouch Reveal® (ten); and DiabetesConnect and ESYSTA (nine); followed by Glucose Buddy (eight), meala (seven), and lumind (three). The most prevalent functions were related to promoting adherence and non-pharmacological management, but most criteria relevant to medication management were lacking. Five apps allowed within-app communication between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs); however, no app included communication with pharmacists. High-quality diabetes apps are powerful tools to support pharmaceutical care and remotely monitor diabetes patients. Improvements are needed as they often lack many medication management functions, including within-app communication with HCPs (especially pharmacists). To maximize diabetes app use and improve outcomes, app developers should consider including pharmacists alongside other healthcare providers when customizing app designs.