IDF21-0564 The Use of a Digital Self-Care Platform in The Control of Diabetes in People With Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: People living with diabetes are at a high risk of suffering poor outcomes after being infected with COVID-19. In the early months of the pandemic in Nigeria, there was a dearth of face-to-face opportunities for people with diabetes to receive care and education on managing their condition. mDoc is a digital health social enterprise which provides virtual self-care support to people living with regular and chronic health conditions including diabetes through our CompleteHealth™ platform. This is a digital health platform where members, once registered, can monitor and track their health. This presentation describes how virtual self-care support was provided to members with diabetes during the pandemic. Aim: To examine how providing virtual self-care support during the COVID-19 pandemic to people living with diabetes is a viable method of helping them manage their condition. Method: A retrospective study was conducted with 88 members with diabetes registered onto the mDoc CompleteHealth™ platform between March 2020 and June 2021. Members were provided with self-care support through the mDoc’s virtual omni-channel support system: weekly messages were sent via WhatsApp and the CompleteHealth™ chat to members and the coach-led multidisciplinary care teams (including a nutritionist and fitness coach) called members to provide lifestyle modifications on diet and exercise as well as self-care education on diabetes management. The members were also encouraged to check their blood glucose levels regularly and adhere to their prescribed medications. The blood glucose levels of the members were collected through the CompleteHealth™ platform where members log in health metrics either by themselves or through their health coach. Members also received information on the COVID-19 prevention protocols and where to get vaccinated when COVID-19 vaccine rollout began in Nigeria. Results: The average age of members with diabetes registered on the CompleteHealth™ platform over the study period was 58 years old with 35.3% being men and 64.7% being women. Of the 88 members who received this virtual support, with multiple FBG values, 78 (88.6%) showed an improvement in their control of their blood sugar levels, with the average value for their FBG falling from 163.2 mg/dL at baseline to 133.6 mg/dL by June 2021. These members also saw their average weekly exercise duration increase from 59.3 minutes per week to 72.7 minutes per week. Discussion: We saw a decrease in blood sugar levels in a majority of members that received weekly virtual support from a health coach-led multidisciplinary care team over the 15 months that the self-care support was provided. This intervention helps people manage diabetes from afar, which is important as self-care has become an increasingly essential part of the global healthcare system, especially due to the limited access to face-to-face doctor consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe that empowering people with the self-efficacy they need to take care of themselves can lead to better control of their chronic disease which will eventually lead to better health outcomes.