ODP180 Diabetes Apps: Do They Help Our Patients?

Abstract

Abstract Background The CDC in 2020 stated that 34.1 million US adults have diabetes and 88 million have pre-diabetes. The Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (ADCES) published self-care behaviors in Feb 2021 highlighting 7 characteristics (ADCES7): Healthy Coping Healthy Eating Being Active Taking Medication Monitoring Reducing Risk Problem Solving Purpose: To determine if mobile diabetes apps fulfill ADCES7 guidelines to meet patient needs. Methods Google search engine to find the top 10 free apps using the search term "diabetes." Inclusion criteria: Free, English, USA accessible,>100K downloads. Exclusion criteria: <100K downloads Using the ADCES7 self-care behaviors, we investigated these criteria in the apps: (1) Healthy coping: Goal setting, online peer support, mental health status, (2) Healthy eating: calorie counting, lessons in nutrition, (3) Being Active: exercise reminder, step counting, heart rate, (4) Taking Medication: reminder for medication, push notification, (5) Monitoring: blood glucose, weight, blood pressure, (6) Reducing Risk: general education, (7) Problem Solving: Data export Results The top apps (by most downloads(DL) to fewer): 1. mySugr(1M), 2. OneTouch Reveal® mobile app for Diabetes(1M), 3. Blood Sugar(1M), 4. Blood Glucose Tracker(0.5M), 5. Diabetes(0.5M), 6. Health2Sync - Diabetes Care(0.5M),7. Diabetes: M(0.5M),8. Glucose Buddy Diabetes Tracker(0.5M), 9. Beat Diabetes(0.1M), 10. Diabetes Diary(0.1M). 3/10 apps have goal setting, 0/10 have online peer support, 3/10 monitor mental health status, 5/10 have calorie counting, 4/10 have lessons in nutrition, 2/10 have exercise reminders, 6/10 have reminders for medication, 8/10 monitor blood glucose, 6/10 monitor weight, 6/10 monitor blood pressure, 8/10 have data exports, 5/10 have general education. None have heart rate or step counting. Conclusion The free apps fulfill some ADCES7 guidelines, with emphasis on monitoring but not for healthy coping. However, they may be useful in medication compliance and diabetes care for our diabetic patients. As physicians, we can continue to help our patients navigate the mobile health space. Presentation: No date and time listed