Ubiquitous Healthcare Service Has the Persistent Benefit on Glycemic Control and Body Weight in Older Adults With Diabetes

Abstract

The use of information technology such as the Internet and mobile communication devices in medicine is known as telemedicine or ubiquitous healthcare (u-healthcare). U-healthcare can help improve glycemic control (1–3), and we have reported that a u-healthcare service for older adults with type 2 diabetes resulted in better glycemic control with less hypoglycemia than conventional care (1). In the current study, we investigated whether the beneficial effects of this u-healthcare service on glycemic control and BMI persist after completion of the service. This was a prospective follow-up study of our previous study (1). Briefly, 144 subjects with type 2 diabetes older than 60 years of age were randomized to one of three groups: a u-healthcare group, a self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) group, or a routine care group (control group). After completion of the study, …