Enhancing type 2 diabetes treatment through digital plans of care – a randomized controlled trial: evaluation of change in patient reported outcome measures

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background We investigated how a personalized care-planning software and linked mobile-app may aid people to self-manage their type 2 diabetes (T2D) more effectively. Research Design and Methods People with T2D and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) greater than 58 mmol/mol (7.5%) were randomized to either an intervention group receiving a personalized care plan, or the control group receiving usual care. Quality of life (QoL) was measured for both groups using validated questionnaires and one-on-one interviews with a subset of 12 participants from each group. Results QoL for the active treatment group increased, by their EQ −5D-5 L score increasing on average by 0.046, whereas it decreased for the control group on average by 0.009. The EQ Visual Analogue Score (VAS) of the intervention group also increased by 8.2%, whereas the control group had a reduction in EQ VAS score of 2.8% (p = 0.008 for difference). Conclusion In this prospective RCT, the findings point to how the provision of personalized care plans can result in an improvement in individuals’ self-rated QoL. This may lead to longer term health benefits.