THE EFFECT OF SMARTPHONE APPS AND TECHNOLOGY COMPATIBILITY ON DIABETES CONTROL IN DIABETIC PATIENTS USING INSULIN

Abstract

Objective: This study was done to determine the need for technological systems in diabetes patients using insulin in Turkey, and to investigate the relationship between diabetes control and their smartphone apps. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional type of study was carried out with 506 diabetic patients using insulin who were followed up at the Diabetes Outpatient Clinics within the Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul University Istanbul Medical Faculty, between March and September 2017. The data were obtained with a face-to-face interview of the physician using the data collection form. Results: The mean age of the participants was 54.23±15.23 (18-89) years. The investigation of distribution in accordance with age showed that 71 patients (14%) were in the 18-34 age group, 302 (59.7%) in the 35-64 age group, and 133 (26.3%) were aged 65 years and above. The rate of those with Type 1 diabetes was 22.9% (n=116) and the rate of those with Type 2 diabetes was 77.1% (n=390). Four-hundred and sixty-four (92.5%) of the patients stated that a patient follow-up system specific to our country would be useful in increasing the quality of life for diabetic patients. Three-hundred and twenty-one (63.4%) of the patients stated they have been using applications on - technological and telecommunication devices, and 185 patients (36.6%) stated they did not use the applications. In the model that examined the factors affecting the use of smartphone applications (Nagelkerke R2=44.6%, sensitivity=82.9% specificity=69.2%), it showed that higher education students’ rate of using smartphone applications was 14.7 times higher than those with lower education; and those with an income level between 2 and 4 times above minimum wage were found to be 2.5 times higher than those with an income level of or below minimum wage. Conclusion: It is anticipated that a system specific to our country will be needed for diabetic patients using insulin and that educated young patients with middle income will be highly interested in this system.