Development and Evaluation of a Smartphone Application for Managing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

WeChat mini-program, a preliminary applied study of the gestational blood glucose management model for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

The mHealth has been increasing in pregnancy. However, the WeChat mini-program based gestational glucose management model for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) during pregnancy has not been established.

METHODS

56 GDM pregnant women were selected. The control group received routine pregnancy health care, and the experimental group received WeChat mini-program GDM women's blood glucose management model, Intervention from diagnosis of GDM to delivery. Two-hour postprandial glucose, self-management ability, maternal and infant outcomes, satisfaction and so on were collected, with an additional mHealth app usability questionnaire collected by the experimental group.

RESULTS

The WeChat mini-program GDM women's blood glucose management model reduced two-hour postprandial glucose, the birth weight of newborns and the incidence of other complications(P < 0.05). The model also improved self-management ability and blood glucose management satisfaction(P < 0.01). The mHealth app usability questionnaire score tends to be close to 1, which indicates that the WeChat mini-program has usability.

CONCLUSION

The WeChat mini-program blood glucose management model reduces two-hour postprandial glucose and improves the self-management ability, which verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the blood glucose management model relying on the WeChat mini-program.

Personalized and Culturally Tailored Features of Mobile Apps for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Their Impact on Patient Self-Management: Scoping Review

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an increasingly common high-risk pregnancy condition requiring intensive daily self-management, placing the burden of care directly on the patient. Understanding personal and cultural differences among patients is critical for delivering optimal support for GDM self-management, particularly in high-risk populations. Although mobile apps for GDM self-management are being used, limited research has been done on the personalized and culturally tailored features of these apps and their impact on patient self-management.

Objective

This scoping review aims to explore the extent to which published studies report the integration and effectiveness of personalized and culturally tailored features in GDM mobile apps for patient self-management support.

Methods

We examined English-language peer-reviewed articles published between October 2016 and May 2023 from PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ClinicalTrials.gov, Proquest Research Library, and Google Scholar using search terms related to digital tools, diabetes, pregnancy, and cultural tailoring. We reviewed eligible articles and extracted data using the Arskey and O'Malley methodological framework.

Results

Our search yielded a total of 1772 articles after the removal of duplicates and 158 articles for full-text review. A total of 21 articles that researched 15 GDM mobile apps were selected for data extraction. Our results demonstrated the stark contrast between the number of GDM mobile apps with personalized features for the individual user (all 15 mobile apps) and those culturally tailored for a specific population (only 3 of the 15 mobile apps). Our findings showed that GDM mobile apps with personalized and culturally tailored features were perceived to be useful to patients and had the potential to improve patients' adherence to glycemic control and nutrition plans.

Conclusions

There is a strong need for increased research and development to foster the implementation of personalized and culturally tailored features in GDM mobile apps for self-management that cater to patients from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities. Personalized and culturally tailored features have the potential to serve the unique needs of patients more efficiently and effectively than generic features alone; however, the impacts of such features still need to be adequately studied. Recommendations for future research include examining the cultural needs of different ethnicities within the increasingly diverse US population in the context of GDM self-management, conducting participatory-based research with these groups, and designing human-centered mobile health solutions for both patients and providers.

Baseline Perceptions of Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Health Care Professionals About Digital Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Self-Management Health Care Technologies: Interview Study Among Patients and Health Care Professionals

BACKGROUND

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a significant medical complication of pregnancy that requires close monitoring by a multidisciplinary health care team. The growing sophistication of mobile health (mHealth) technology could play a significant supporting role for women with GDM and health professionals (HPs) regarding GDM management.

OBJECTIVE

This study included 2 phases. The aim of phase 1 was to explore the perceptions of HPs and women with GDM regarding the use of mHealth for GDM self-management and to identify their needs from these technologies. The aim of phase 2 was to explore the perceptions of women with GDM about their experiences with a state-of-the-art app for managing GDM that was offered to them during the COVID-19 lockdown. This phase aimed to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on women's perceptions about using technology to manage their GDM. By combining both phases, the overall aim was to establish how perceptions about GDM self-management technology have changed owing to the pandemic restrictions and experience of using such technology.

METHODS

In total, 26 semistructured interviews were conducted in 2 phases. In phase 1, overall, 62% (16/26) of the participants, including 44% (7/16) of HPs, 50% (8/16) of women with GDM, and 6% (1/16) of women in the postpartum period with GDM history participated in the interviews. In phase 2, overall, 38% (10/26) of women with GDM participated in the interviews. NVivo (QSR International) was used to extract qualitative data, which were subjected to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Phase 1 identified 3 themes from the interviews with women with GDM: fitting with women's lifestyle constraints, technology's design not meeting women's needs, and optimizing the technology's design to meet women's needs. Overall, 3 themes were derived from the interviews with HPs: optimizing the technology's design to improve the quality of care, technology to support women's independence, and limitations in the care system and facilities. Analysis of phase-2 interviews identified 2 further themes: enhancing the information and functionalities and optimizing the interface design. In both phases, participants emphasized a simple and user-friendly interface design as the predominant positive influence on their use of technology for GDM management.

CONCLUSIONS

The combined findings underlined similar points. Poor usability, data visualization limitations, lack of personalization, limited information, and lack of communication facilities were the prime issues of current GDM self-management mHealth technology that need to be addressed. The analysis also revealed how women with GDM should play a vital role in gathering the requirements for GDM self-management technology; some needs were identified from in-depth discussion with women with GDM that would be missed without their involvement.

Patient-reported Benefits and Limitations of Mobile Health Technologies for Diabetes in Pregnancy: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVES

For women with pre-existing and gestational diabetes, pregnancy involves specialized and intensive medical care to optimize maternal and infant outcomes. Medical management for patients with diabetes in pregnancy typically occurs via frequent face-to-face outpatient appointments. COVID-19-induced barriers to face-to-face care have identified the need for high-quality, patient-centred virtual health-care modalities, such as mobile health (mHealth) technologies. Our aim in this review was to identify the patient-reported benefits and limitations of mHealth technologies among women with diabetes in pregnancy. We also aimed to determine how the women's experiences aligned with the best practice standards for patient-centred communication.

METHODS

The framework presented by Arksey and O'Malley for conducting scoping reviews, with refinements by Levac et al, was used to guide this review. Relevant studies were identified through comprehensive database searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Emcare and PsycINFO. Thomas and Harden's methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews guided the synthesis of patient-reported benefits and limitations of mHealth technology.

RESULTS

Overall, 19 studies describing the use of 16 unique mHealth technologies among 742 women were included in the final review. Patient-reported benefits of mHealth included convenience, support of psychosocial well-being and facilitation of diabetes self-management. Patient-reported limitations included lack of important technological features, perceived burdensome aspects of mHealth and lack of trust in virtual health care.

CONCLUSIONS

Women with diabetes report some benefits from mHealth use during pregnancy. Codesigning future technologies with end users may help address the perceived limitations and effectiveness of mHealth technologies.

Mobile health as a primary mode of intervention for women at risk of or diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus: a scoping review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to map the knowledge related to the use of mobile health (mHealth) as a primary mode of intervention for the prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus and its long-term implications among women at risk of or diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. We also sought to understand if mHealth for women at risk of or diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus incorporated relevant behavior change theory and techniques.

INTRODUCTION

Prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus and its associated adverse outcomes are important to maternal and infant health. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus report high burden of disease management and barriers to lifestyle change post-delivery, which mHealth interventions may help to overcome. Evidence suggests apps could help gestational diabetes mellitus prevention and management; however, less is known about broader applications of mHealth from preconception to interconception, and whether relevant behavior change techniques are incorporated.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Studies that focused on mHealth use as the primary mode of intervention for the prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus and its long-term implications were considered for inclusion. Telehealth or telemedicine were excluded as these have been reviewed elsewhere.

METHODS

Six databases were searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and TRIP. No limits were applied to database exploration periods to ensure retrieval of all relevant studies. Gray literature sources searched were OpenGrey, ISRCTN Registry, ClinicalTrials.gov, EU Clinical Trials Register, and ANZCTR. Two reviewers independently screened abstracts and assessed full texts against the inclusion criteria. Data were extracted using an adapted version of the JBI data extraction instrument. Data are presented in narrative form accompanied by tables and figures.

RESULTS

This review identified 2166 sources, of which 96 full texts were screened. Thirty eligible reports were included, covering 25 different mHealth interventions. Over half (n = 14) of the interventions were for self-managing blood glucose during pregnancy. Common features included tracking blood glucose levels, real-time feedback, communication with professionals, and educational information. Few (n = 6) mHealth interventions were designed for postpartum use and none for interconception use. Five for postpartum use supported behavior change to reduce the risk oftype 2 diabetes and included additional features such as social support functions and integrated rewards. Early development and feasibility studies used mixed methods to assess usability and acceptability. Later stage evaluations of effectiveness typically used randomized controlled trial designs to measure clinical outcomes such as glycemic control and reduced body weight. Three mHealth interventions were developed using behavior change theory. Most mHealth interventions incorporated two behavior change techniques shown to be optimal when combined, and those delivering behavior change interventions included a wider range. Nevertheless, only half of the 26 techniques listed in a published behavior change taxonomy were tried.

CONCLUSIONS

mHealth for gestational diabetes mellitus focuses on apps to improve clinical outcomes. This focus could be broadened by incorporating existing resources that women value, such as social media, to address needs, such as peer support. Although nearly all mHealth interventions incorporated behavior change techniques, findings suggest future development should consider selecting techniques that target women's needs and barriers to engagement. Lack of mHealth interventions for prevention of gestational diabetes mellitus recurrence and type 2 diabetes mellitus suggests further development and evaluation are required.

Barriers and Facilitators of Using eHealth to Support Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Self-Management (GDM): A Systematic Literature Review of Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals and Women with GDM (Preprint)

Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common medical complications during pregnancy. eHealth technologies are proving to be successful in supporting the self-management of medical conditions. Digital technologies have the potential to improve GDM self-management.

Objective

The primary objective of this systematic literature review was to identify the views of health professionals (HPs) and women with GDM regarding the use of eHealth for GDM self-management. The secondary objective was to investigate the usability and user satisfaction levels when using these technologies.

Methods

Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach, the search included primary papers in English on the evaluation of technology to support self-management of GDM from January 2008 to September 2021 using MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, ACM, and IEEE databases. The lists of references from previous systematic literature reviews, which were related to technology and GDM, were also examined for primary studies. Papers with qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methodologies were included and evaluated. The selected papers were assessed for quality using the Cochrane Collaboration tool, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines, Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist, and McGill University Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. NVivo (QSR International) was used to extract qualitative data, which were subjected to thematic analysis. Narrative synthesis was used to analyze the quantitative data.

Results

A total of 26 papers were included in the review. Of these, 19% (5/26) of studies used quantitative research methodologies, 19% (5/26) used qualitative methods, and 62% (16/26) used mixed methods. In all, 4 themes were identified from the qualitative data: the benefits of using technology, engagement with people via technology, the usability of technology, and discouragement factors for the use of technology. The thematic analysis revealed a vast scope of challenges and facilitators in the use of GDM self-management systems. The challenges included usability aspects of the system, technical problems, data privacy, lack of emotional support, the accuracy of reported data, and adoption of the system by HPs. Convenience, improved GDM self-management, peer support, increased motivation, increased independence, and consistent monitoring were facilitators to use these technologies. Quantitative data showed that there is potential for improving the usability of the GDM self-management systems. It also showed that convenience, usefulness, increasing motivation for GDM self-management, helping with GDM self-management, and being monitored by HPs were facilitators to use the GDM self-management systems.

Conclusions

This novel systematic literature review shows that HPs and women with GDM encountered some challenges in using GDM self-management systems. The usability of GDM systems was the primary challenge derived from qualitative and quantitative results, with convenience, consistent monitoring, and optimization of GDM self-management emerging as important facilitators.

Development, feasibility and acceptability of a self-efficacy-enhancing smartphone application among pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus: single- arm pilot clinical trial

BACKGROUND

There is growing attention to the use of mHealth technologies to promote glycemic control for women with GDM around the world, but research on promoting a change in health behaviors is lacking. This study aimed to document the process of designing, developing, and testing the feasibility and acceptability of the SEESPA.

METHODS

This single-arm pilot clinical trial study included 15 pregnant women with GDM. Following SEESPA development (e.g., goal setting and action plan, role modeling, motivational messages, mastery of experiences, and tracking healthy behaviors), all participants were provided access to use the SEESPA for 4 weeks. Feasibility outcomes assessed were rates of recruitment, retention rate, success rate of transmitting motivational text messages, rate of participants acknowledging receipt of text messages, and success rate of recording healthy behaviors. Acceptability outcomes were determined by asking open-ended questions through telephone interview at 4-week post-intervention.

RESULTS

Fifteen randomly selected women consented to participate in the study, with a 60.0% (n = 9) retention rate at post-trial intervention and 40.0% (n = 6) trial dropout. Two motivational text messages per week were sent to all participants. Of these, 68.1% were acknowledged by the participants. Study participants reported that SEESPA is useful, effective, and they felt satisfied about it. In addition, they brought few suggestions that will be integrated on the final version of the app.

CONCLUSIONS

and Clinical Relevance. The developed innovative SEESPA is a feasible and acceptable intervention for behavioral modifications among women with GDM, and is ready to be tested in a larger RCT study which is expected to inform the health policymakers to integrate SEESPA with the antenatal health care practice of women with GDM, specifically in developing countries where there is a greater risk of developing GDM complications among mothers and their infants.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study is registered on September 16, 2019 (ACTRN12619001278123p) by the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry.

Health literacy and behaviors influencing blood sugar level control among type 2 diabetes patients in primary care units, Thailand: A cross-sectional study

Background: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) remains a significant cause of death globally. In addition, T2DM is among the top five chronic diseases which leads to mortality in the Thai population. Patients with T2DM need a wide self-management protocol.  However, patients with low health literacy experience difficulty in recognizing health-related information and have difficulties in expressing their status to health care providers, resulting in poor self-management which results in worsening of the health condition. This study aimed to identify the health literacy among patients with type 2 diabetes to determine its association between factors with blood sugar level control in the patients who are treated in primary care units. Methods: A total of 605 subjects were randomly selected from four districts of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Northeastern Thailand. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and a review of their charts. A descriptive statistical analysis was used to describe characteristics of the subjects. In addition, multiple logistic regression was used for the association to estimate effect sizes in terms of an odds ratio with the 95% confidence interval. Results: Of the total 605 respondents, 90.90% of the subjects had a sufficient level of health literacy about diabetes. The present study found the subjects who had sufficient health literacy were significantly associated with blood sugar level control (Adjusted Odds Ratio, (AOR)=2.27; 95% CI: 1.10-4.74; p =0.026). A strongly significant association with blood sugar level control was found with diet behaviors (AOR = 9.71; 95% CI: 5.98-15.77; p<0.001) and exercise behaviors (AOR = 14.50; 95% CI: 8.66-24.27; p<0.001). Conclusions: Health literacy on the changing health related behaviors among the T2DM patients is significantly associated with controlling blood sugar level. Hence, health practitioners should enhance the health literacy on self-care among T2DM patients which will help to control T2DM in an effective manner.

Effectiveness and Usability of Digital Tools to Support Dietary Self-Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review

Advice on dietary intake is an essential first line intervention for the management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Digital tools such as web-based and smartphone apps have been suggested to provide a novel way of providing information on diet for optimal glucose regulation in women with GDM. This systematic review explores the effectiveness and usability of digital tools designed to support dietary self-management of GDM. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library, and Scopus using key search terms identified 1476 papers reporting research studies, of which 16 met the specified inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the ErasmusAGE Quality Score or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) version 2018. The findings show that the adoption of digital tools may be an effective approach to support self-management relating to healthy diet, health behaviour, and adherence to therapy in women with GDM as a usable intervention. However, there is a lack of evidence concerning the effectiveness of tools to support the dietary management of GDM. Consideration for ethnic specific dietary advice and evidence-based frameworks in the development of effective digital tools for dietary management of GDM should be considered as these aspects have been limited in the studies reviewed.

The use of mobile health interventions for gestational diabetes mellitus: a descriptive literature review

This study attempted to review the evidence for or against the effectiveness of mobile health (m-health) interventions on health outcomes improvement and/or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) management. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases were searched from 2000 to 10 July 2018 to find studies investigating the effect of m-health on GDM management. After removing duplications, a total of 27 articles met our defined inclusion criteria. m-health interventions were implemented by smartphone, without referring to its type, in 26% (7/27) of selected studies, short message service (SMS) in 14.9% (4/27), mobile-based applications in 33.3% (9/27), telemedicine-based on smartphones in 18.5% (5/27), and SMS reminder system in 7.1% (2/27). Most of the included studies (n=23) supported the effectiveness of m-health interventions on GDM management and 14.3% (n=4) reported no association between m-health interventions and pregnancy outcomes. Based on our findings, m-health interventions could enhance GDM patients' pregnancy outcomes. A majority of the included studies suggested positive outcomes. M-health can be one of the most prominent technologies for the management of GDM.

A review and content analysis of national apps for COVID-19 management using Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS)

The expansion of mobile health apps for the management of COVID-19 grew exponentially in recent months. However, no study has evaluated these apps. The objective of this study was to develop a reliable measure and rate the quality of COVID-19 mobile health apps, to eventually provide a roadmap for future mHealth app development. In this study, we used COVID-related keywords to identify apps for iOS and Android devices. 13 apps (13.5% of the total number of apps identified) were selected for evaluation. App quality was assessed independently using MARS by two reviewers. Search queries yielded a total of 97 potentially relevant apps, of which 13 met our final inclusion criteria. Kendall's coefficient of concordance value for the inter-rater agreement was 0.93 (p = .03). COVID-19 GOV PK app had the highest average MARS score (4.7/5), and all of the apps had acceptable MARS scores (> 3.0). This study suggests that most COVID-related apps meet acceptable criteria for quality, content, or functionality, and they must highlight esthetic and interesting features for overall quality improvement to be welcomed by users.

Ecological momentary assessment of stress, racism and other forms of discrimination during pregnancy using smartphone technology

BACKGROUND

In the United States, there are considerable racial inequities in adverse perinatal outcomes. Exposure to racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression may help explain these inequities.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the application of real-time data collection using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and smartphone technology to assess exposure to stress, racism, sexism, microaggressions, and other forms of oppression.

METHODS

The Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS) is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study that began recruitment in December 2017. Participants delivering at a hospital in Pittsburgh, PA are recruited by 29 weeks' gestation. Using smartphones and smart scales, participants complete daily surveys related to psychosocial, behavioural, and contextual factors and weigh themselves weekly for approximately 15 months. We provide a preliminary descriptive analysis of EMA self-reported measures of stress, racism, sexism, and microaggressions; and non-EMA measures of stress and major discrimination.

RESULTS

The sample (n = 230) is 63.5% White, 24.8% Black/African American, and 7% Hispanic origin. The most commonly reported item from the Major Discrimination Scale is being unfairly fired (18.1% of the sample). Of those, 31.7% and 17.1% attribute unfair firing to their gender and race, respectively. From the random EMA measures, on average, participants report experiences of racism and sexism at least once daily, in an average 12-hour day over the 4-week period. Black participants indicate about two experiences per day of racism, and White participants indicate more than 1 per day of sexism. Mean stress levels from the EMA measures were similar to the stress measures collected at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

The methods applied in PMOMS provide real-time data regarding how participants' daily experiences of stress and discrimination influence their lives. Future work will include understanding if and how these EMA measures may relate to already established measures of racism, sexism, and stress; and ultimately understanding associations with perinatal inequities.

Methods and Evaluation Criteria for Apps and Digital Interventions for Diabetes Self-Management: Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

There is growing evidence that apps and digital interventions have a positive impact on diabetes self-management. Standard self-management for patients with diabetes could therefore be supplemented by apps and digital interventions to increase patients' skills. Several initiatives, models, and frameworks suggest how health apps and digital interventions could be evaluated, but there are few standards for this. And although there are many methods for evaluating apps and digital interventions, a more specific approach might be needed for assessing digital diabetes self-management interventions.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to identify which methods and criteria are used to evaluate apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management, and to describe how patients were involved in these evaluations.

METHODS

We searched CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science for articles published from 2015 that referred to the evaluation of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management and involved patients in the evaluation. We then conducted a narrative qualitative synthesis of the findings, structured around the included studies' quality, methods of evaluation, and evaluation criteria.

RESULTS

Of 1681 articles identified, 31 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A total of 7 articles were considered of high confidence in the evidence. Apps were the most commonly used platform for diabetes self-management (18/31, 58%), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) was the targeted health condition most studies focused on (12/31, 38%). Questionnaires, interviews, and user-group meetings were the most common methods of evaluation. Furthermore, the most evaluated criteria for apps and digital diabetes self-management interventions were cognitive impact, clinical impact, and usability. Feasibility and security and privacy were not evaluated by studies considered of high confidence in the evidence.

CONCLUSIONS

There were few studies with high confidence in the evidence that involved patients in the evaluation of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management. Additional evaluation criteria, such as sustainability and interoperability, should be focused on more in future studies to provide a better understanding of the effects and potential of apps and digital interventions for diabetes self-management.

Evaluation of mobile apps for treatment of patients at risk of developing gestational diabetes

This study evaluates mobile apps using a theory-based evaluation framework to discover their applicability for patients at risk of gestational diabetes. This study assessed how well the existing mobile apps on the market meet the information and tracking needs of patients with gestational diabetes and evaluated the feasibility of how to integrate these apps into patient care. A search was conducted in the Apple iTunes and Google Play store for mobile apps that contained keywords related to the following concepts of nutrition: diet, tracking, diabetes, and pregnancy. Evaluation criteria were developed to assess the mobile apps on five dimensions. Overall, the apps scored well on education and information functions and scored poorly on engagement functions. There are few apps that provide comprehensive evidence-based educational content, tracking tools, and integration with electronic health records. This study demonstrates the need to develop apps that have comprehensive content, tracking tools, and ability to bidirectionally share data.

Understanding Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Using Ecological Momentary Assessment and Mobile Technology: Protocol for the Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study

Background

There are significant racial disparities in pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes, including postpartum weight retention and cardiometabolic risk. These racial disparities are a result of a complex interplay between contextual, environmental, behavioral, and psychosocial factors.

Objective

This protocol provides a description of the development and infrastructure for the Postpartum Mothers Mobile Study (PMOMS), designed to better capture women’s daily experiences and exposures from late pregnancy through 1 year postpartum. The primary aims of PMOMS are to understand the contextual, psychosocial, and behavioral factors contributing to racial disparities in postpartum weight and cardiometabolic health, with a focus on the daily experiences of stress and racism, as well as contextual forms of stress (eg, neighborhood stress and structural racism).

Methods

PMOMS is a longitudinal observation study that is ancillary to an existing randomized control trial, GDM² (Comparison of Two Screening Strategies for Gestational Diabetes). PMOMS uses an efficient and cost-effective approach for recruitment by leveraging the infrastructure of GDM², facilitating enrollment of participants while consolidating staff support from both studies. The primary data collection method is ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and through smart technology (ie, smartphones and scales). The development of the study includes: (1) the pilot phase and development of the smartphone app; (2) feedback and further development of the app including selection of key measures; and (3) implementation, recruitment, and retention.

Results

PMOMS aims to recruit 350 participants during pregnancy, to be followed through the first year after delivery. Recruitment and data collection started in December 2017 and are expected to continue through September 2020. Initial results are expected in December 2020. As of early May 2019, PMOMS recruited a total of 305 participants. Key strengths and features of PMOMS have included data collection via smartphone technology to reduce the burden of multiple on-site visits, low attrition rate because of participation in an ongoing trial in which women are already motivated and enrolled, high EMA survey completion and the use of EMA as a unique data collection method to understand daily experiences, and shorter than expected timeframe for enrollment because of the infrastructure of the GDM² trial.

Conclusions

This protocol outlines the development of the PMOMS, one of the first published studies to use an ongoing EMA and mobile technology protocol during pregnancy and throughout 1 year postpartum to understand the health of childbearing populations and enduring racial disparities in postpartum weight and cardiometabolic health. Our findings will contribute to the improvement of data collection methods, particularly the role of EMA in capturing multiple exposures and knowledge in real time. Furthermore, the results of the study will inform future studies investigating weight and cardiometabolic health during pregnancy and the postpartum period, including how social determinants produce population disparities in these outcomes.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/13569

Perceptions of Health Care Providers Regarding a Mobile Health Intervention to Manage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Qualitative Study

Background

Using a mobile health (mHealth) intervention, consisting of a smartphone and compatible medical device, has the potential to enhance chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment outcomes while mitigating health care costs.

Objective

The aim of this study was to explore the potential facilitators and barriers among health care providers (HCPs) regarding the use of mHealth interventions for COPD management.

Methods

This was a qualitative study. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted with HCPs, including nurses, pharmacists, and physicians who work directly with patients with COPD. A flexible prompts guide was used to facilitate discussions. Interview topics included the following: demographics, mHealth usage, perceptions toward challenges of mHealth adoption, factors facilitating mHealth adoption, and preferences regarding features of the mHealth intervention for COPD management. Interviews were conversational in nature, and items were not asked verbatim or in the order presented. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and compared against the digital recordings to ensure the accuracy of the content. After creating a codebook for analysis, 2 researchers independently coded the remaining interview data using pattern coding. They discussed commonalities and differences in coding until a consensus was reached.

Results

A total of 30 nurses, physicians, and pharmacists participated. The main facilitators to mHealth adoption are possible health benefits for patients, ease of use, educating patients and their HCPs, credibility, and reducing cost to the health care system. Alternatively, the barriers to adoption are technical issues, privacy and confidentiality issues, lack of awareness, potential limited uptake from the elderly, potential limited connection between patients and HCPs, and finances.

Conclusions

It is important to understand the perceptions of HCPs regarding the adoption of innovative mHealth interventions for COPD management. This study identifies some potential facilitators and barriers that may inform the successful development and implementation of mHealth interventions for COPD management.

Evaluating the effects of mobile health intervention on weight management, glycemic control and pregnancy outcomes in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

PURPOSE

To explore the effects of mobile health (mHealth) intervention on pregnancy weight management, blood glucose control and pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 124 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were selected. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. The 60 patients in the control group received standard outpatient treatment, while the remaining 64 patients received a nurse's online guidance both through a mobile medical App installed on their phone and through regular offline clinical treatment in the mHealth group. Patients were treated for an average of 13 weeks and general conditions, compliance, blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, weight gain, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes were monitored in both groups longitudinally.

RESULTS

The mHealth group demonstrated higher levels of compliance (83.3 ± 12.5% vs. 70.4 ± 10.1%, t = - 6.293, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower frequency of outpatient service (8.1 ± 1.3 vs. 11.2 ± 1.1, t = 14.285, df = 122, p < 0.001), lower hemoglobin A1C before delivery (4.7 ± 0.2 vs. 5.3 ± 0.3, t = 13.216, df = 122, p < 0.001) as well as the rates of off-target measurements both fasting (4.6 ± 0.4% vs. 8.3 ± 0.6%, t = 40.659, df = 122, p < 0.001) and 2 h post-prandial (7.9 ± 0.7% vs. 14.7 ± 0.8%, t = 50.746, df = 122, p < 0.001). Weight gain in the mHealth group was less than control group (3.2 ± 0.8 vs. 4.8 ± 0.7, t = 11.851, df = 122 p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Mobile health intervention management of gestational diabetes mellitus improves patients' compliance and blood glucose control, and reduces weight gain, thereby reducing the rates of complications in both pregnant women and fetuses during delivery during pregnancy.

Assessment of Psychological Dimensions in Telemedicine Care for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies

Background and Objective: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a complex and wide spread problem and is considered one of the most frequent chronic metabolic conditions during pregnancy. According to a recent consensus conference held in Italy, new technologies can play a role in the so-called process of fertilization of the individual's ecosystem engagement, representing support for systemic collaboration among the main actors. The current systematic review aimed at providing an update of the literature about telemedicine for GDM, considering the role of psychological dimensions such as empowerment/self-efficacy, engagement and satisfaction.

Methods: The review was performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. The data sources were PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Scopus databases.

Results: Thirteen articles were identified as eligible and relevant for the final qualitative synthesis, but none was specific for the topic of engagement. The quality or research bias of the studies presents methodological limits. Most studies had clinical outcomes as a primary object. Concerning empowerment and self-efficacy, there were only preliminary findings reporting any improvements derived from using telemedicine approaches. Conversely, there were more consistent and positive results concerning the satisfaction of patients and clinicians.

Conclusions: These results are not sufficient to state a conclusive evaluation of positive effects of telemedicine use for GDM care. A more in-depth investigation of engagement and empowerment dimensions is necessary, as some benefits for the management of chronic conditions were already detected. Further investigations will also be necessary concerning the acceptability and feasibility of telemedicine systems by clinicians.

Association of Electronic Health Literacy With Health-Promoting Behaviors in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-sectional Study

It is important to know how well patients with type 2 diabetes understand and use health information available online in relation to health-promoting behaviors. Thus, the purposes of this study were to examine the association among electronic health literacy, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and health-promoting behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes, and to identify factors that affect health-promoting behaviors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a diabetes center in Seoul, South Korea. It was found that health-promoting behaviors were significantly correlated with electronic health literacy (r = 0.15, P < .05), perceived benefits (r = 0.15, P < .05), and self-efficacy (r = 0.47, P < .01). In the multiple linear regression analysis to identify the factors influencing health-promoting behaviors, electronic health literacy (β = .13, P = .040) and self-efficacy (β = .38, P < .001) were found to be significant factors, even after adjusting for general and disease-related characteristics. Strategies to improve health-promoting behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes should focus on analyzing levels of electronic health literacy and deepening their understanding of online information accordingly.

Patient facing decision support system for interpretation of laboratory test results

Background

In some healthcare systems, it is common that patients address laboratory test centers directly without a physician’s recommendation. This practice is widely spread in Russia with about 28% of patients who visiting laboratory test centers for diagnostics. This causes an issue when patients get no help from the physician in understanding the results.

Computer decision support systems proved to efficiently solve a resource consuming task of interpretation of the test results. So, a decision support system can be implemented to rise motivation and empower the patients who visit a laboratory service without a doctor’s referral.

Methods

We have developed a clinical decision support system for patients that solves a classification task and finds a set of diagnoses for the provided laboratory tests results.

The Wilson and Lankton’s assessment model was applied to measure patients’ acceptance of the solution.

Results

A first order predicates-based decision support system has been implemented to analyze laboratory test results and deliver reports in natural language to patients. The evaluation of the system showed a high acceptance of the decision support system and of the reports that it generates.

Conclusions

Detailed notification of the laboratory service patients with elements of the decision support is significant for the laboratory data management, and for patients’ empowerment and safety.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12911-018-0648-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of Smartphone Application-Based Nutrition Education Material for Twin Pregnancy

PURPOSE

To develop educational material about nutrition during antepartum period for women pregnant with twins by using smartphone applications.

METHODS

A series of steps according to ADDIE model, including Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation were used to develop smartphone application of antepartum nutrition care for women pregnant with twins.

RESULTS

Based on experts' evaluation, the average score was 4.6±0.39 in total. Content score was 4.7±0.40. Interface design score was 4.5±0.55. Content score was higher than interface design score. User evaluation was conducted in the form of interview. Results of interviews revealed that users generally responded positively to the accuracy, understanding, and objectivity for content items of the smartphone app. As for the evaluation of consistency for the evaluation item of interface design, users answered "ordinary" or "generally yes". For design suitability and accuracy of vocabulary, they answered 'generally suitable'.

CONCLUSION

The smartphone app developed through this study is expected to aid antepartum care for women pregnant with twins. It will also contribute to health promotion of both pregnant women and twin fetus.

Functionality, Implementation, Impact, and the Role of Health Literacy in Mobile Phone Apps for Gestational Diabetes: Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

The increasing ownership of mobile phones and advances in hardware and software position these devices as cost-effective personalized tools for health promotion and management among women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Numerous mobile phone apps are available online; however, to our knowledge, no review has documented how these apps are developed and evaluated in relation to GDM.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of our review was to answer the following 2 research questions: (1) What is known from the existing literature about the availability, functionality, and effectiveness of mobile phone apps on GDM prevention and management? (2) What is the role of health literacy in these apps?

METHODS

We searched 7 relevant electronic databases for original research documents using terms related to mobile phone apps, GDM, and health literacy. We thematically categorized selected articles using a framework adapted from Arksey and O'Malley.

RESULTS

We included 12 articles related to 7 apps or systems in the final analysis. We classified articles around 2 themes: (1) description of the development, feasibility, or usability of the apps or systems, and (2) trial protocols. The degree of personalization varied among the apps for GDM, and decision support systems can be used to generate time-efficient personalized feedback for both patients and health care providers. Health literacy was considered during the development or measured as an outcome by some apps.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a limited body of research on mobile phone apps in relation to GDM prevention and management. Mobile phone apps can provide time- and cost-efficient personalized interventions for GDM. Several randomized controlled trials have been launched recently to evaluate the effectiveness of the apps. Consideration of health literacy should be improved when developing features of the apps.

Smartphone application for women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

The promotion of a healthy diet, physical activity and measurement of blood glucose levels are essential components in the care for women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Smartphones offer a new way to promote health behaviour. The main aim is to investigate if the use of the Pregnant+ app, in addition to standard care, results in better blood glucose levels compared with current standard care only, for women with GDM.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This randomised controlled trial will include 230 pregnant women with GDM followed up at 5 outpatient departments (OPD) in the greater Oslo Region. Women with a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) ≥9 mmol/L, who own a smartphone, understand Norwegian, Urdu or Somali and are <33 weeks pregnant, are invited. The intervention group receives the Pregnant+ app and standard care. The control group receives standard care only. Block randomisation is performed electronically. Data are collected using self-reported questionnaires and hospital records. Data will be analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Groups will be compared using linear regression for the main outcome and χ2 test for categorical data and Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for skewed distribution. The main outcome is the glucose level measured at the 2-hour OGTT 3 months postpartum. Secondary outcomes are a change in health behaviour and knowledge about GDM, quality of life, birth weight, mode of delivery and complications for mother and child.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study is exempt from regional ethics review due to its nature of quality improvement in patient care. Our study has been approved by the Norwegian Social Science Data Services and the patient privacy protections boards governing over the recruitment sites. Findings will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02588729, Post-results.

Evaluation of a smartphone application for self-care performance of patients with chronic hepatitis B: A randomized controlled trial

AIM

To verify the usefulness of a smartphone application (App) for facilitating self-care in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

BACKGROUND

CHB is a global health problem, and patients with CHB need to routinely perform self-care. Health-related smartphone apps could help users self-manage their disease.

METHODS

Fifty-three CHB patients were assessed in this randomized controlled before-and-after experimental study. The patients were randomly and equally assigned to groups that did (n=26) or did not (n=27) use the smartphone app for 12weeks. The experimental and control groups were analyzed for differences in disease knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-care before and after use of the smartphone app.

RESULTS

After intervention, patients who used the app displayed significantly increased disease knowledge compared with the control group (p=.015). Self-efficacy and self-care also significantly increased in the experimental group (p=0.006 and 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The smartphone app can be useful for increasing self-care in CHB patients.

ABBREVIATIONS

App: application, CHB: chronic hepatitis B, CVI: content validity.