Digital Diabetes Self-Management: A Trilateral Serial

Abstract

The way diabetes patients cope with their disease in day-to-day routines is decisive for the development or the prevention of medical complications. Smartphones have created the ubiquitous environment to support health care with mobile applications (mHealth). This article comments on the publication by Offringa et al in JDST, which is one of few studies that tries to isolate the effects of a diabetes app. At the same time, it is a good example to discuss general aspects of mHealth in diabetes care. Treatment context, eHealth literacy, interoperability, and efficiency will determine the success of diabetes apps. The development has not yet reached its end. A triple quality feedback loop linking persons with diabetes, health care providers, and mHealth providers is suggested.