470-P: Usability and Satisfaction of a Mobile Application to Support Individuals with Insulin Therapy Management

Abstract

People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continue to be reluctant to begin insulin therapy. Methods to assure education access and support are critically important. To supplement health care provider efforts, the BD Diabetes Care App was developed to offer information on injection administration and self-management strategies. Ongoing support is built into the app in the form of articles and videos related to starting and using insulin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient and educator usability of and satisfaction with the app. Methods: Patients >18 years with T2DM, new to or identified as having issues with insulin therapy were recruited from in- and outpatient settings. Participants received insulin education according to standard practice and were then introduced to the app. Over the study period, participants were able to use the app as much or as little as preferred; use was tracked with app analytics. HbA1c was measured at baseline and 3 months and satisfaction surveys were administered. Results: Participants (n=22) were 27% female, 73% White Non-Hispanic, mean age 55 years, with baseline mean HbA1c of 11%. Glycemic control significantly improved during the study period, with an average reduction in HbA1c of 3.2±2.9%. All participants used the app; 86% launched it within one day of enrollment. Average use was 11 times over the course of the study, 55% were considered highly engaged (consistently used app over the course of study). Participants were most likely to access curriculum (articles and videos) about insulin pen therapy followed by living with diabetes. Most participants found the app easy to use (75%), visually appealing (81%), to contain helpful content, especially articles (77%); 73% said that they would recommend the app to another person with diabetes. Educators reported high satisfaction and a positive experience in using the app. Conclusion: The BD Diabetes Care App offers a promising approach to support patients starting and using insulin. Disclosure L. M. Siminerio: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Bayer U. S., Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company. L. L. Bednarz: Other Relationship; Self; Medtronic, Tandem Diabetes Care. C. Dejesus: None. J. Ng: Research Support; Self; Sanofi-Aventis. S. L. Reynolds: None. J. S. Krall: Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company, Sanofi. Funding BD