Patient perceptions of the use of a technology-augmented healthcare system for the self-care of type 2 diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension

Abstract

The use of consumer health information technologies (ITs) has been escalating among chronically ill patients to enhance the quality of disease self-care. Yet, studies examining the feasibility of such technologies among populations of in-home self-care patients are rare. This study provides the research community with a preliminary assessment of the feasibility of consumer health IT. A total of 38 patients with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension were enrolled in the study. A tablet-based chronic disease self-monitoring system was set up in patient homes to facilitate disease self-monitoring for a duration of 12 weeks. Patient perceptions about seven variables indicating the feasibility of the system were collected at 2 weeks and 12 weeks post-implementation. Results showed that the healthcare system tested in this study was feasible from patients’ perspectives. Further research is needed to verify the findings in larger samples with longer durations, and assess its feasibility from other aspects.