Abstract
BackgroundDiabetes is a major health care burden in the Middle East region. Social networking tools can contribute to the management of diabetes with improved educational and care outcomes using these popular tools in the region.ObjectiveThe objective of this review was to evaluate the impact of social networking interventions on the improvement of diabetes management and health outcomes in patients with diabetes in the Middle East.MethodsPeer-reviewed articles from PubMed (1990-2017) and Google Scholar (1990-2017) were identified using various combinations of predefined terms and search criteria. The main inclusion criterion consisted of the use of social networking apps on mobile phones as the primary intervention. Outcomes were grouped according to study design, type of diabetes, category of technological intervention, location, and sample size.ResultsThis review included 5 articles evaluating the use of social media tools in the management of diabetes in the Middle East. In most studies, the acceptance rate for the use of social networking to optimize the management of diabetes was relatively high. Diabetes-specific management tools such as the Saudi Arabia Networking for Aiding Diabetes and Diabetes Intelligent Management System for Iraq systems helped collect patient information and lower hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, respectively.ConclusionsThe reviewed studies demonstrated the potential of social networking tools being adopted in regions in the Middle East to improve the management of diabetes. Future studies consisting of larger sample sizes spanning multiple regions would provide further insight into the use of social media for improving patient outcomes.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood glucose levels and inflammation leading to long-term complications of obesity, heart disease, stroke, foot ulcers, and loss of eyesight and kidney function [1,2]
The reviewed studies demonstrated the potential of social networking tools being adopted in regions in the Middle East to improve the management of diabetes
This paper presents the evidence on evaluating the impact of social media intervention in improving the health of patients with diabetes in the Middle East
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood glucose levels and inflammation leading to long-term complications of obesity, heart disease, stroke, foot ulcers, and loss of eyesight and kidney function [1,2]. In diabetes, the cells are unable to take up glucose from the blood. Type 1 and type 2 are the 2 most common forms of diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes occurs due to the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, whereas type 2 diabetes occurs due to cells developing a resistance to insulin. Diabetes prevalence is rapidly increasing in developing countries, including those in South Asia, the Middle East, Sub–Saharan Africa, and Latin America [3]. Diabetes is a major health care burden in the Middle East region. Social networking tools can contribute to the management of diabetes with improved educational and care outcomes using these popular tools in the region
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