Authors (including presenting author) :
Ng E (1), Cheng HL (1), Lee Z (1), Ku BPS (1), Cho SWL (1), Cheung JCF (1), Au TWC (1), Woo RBK (1), Chan JKY (1), Hui HL (1), Pang JYW (1), Cheung NT (1)
Affiliation :
(1) Information Technology and Health Informatics Division, Hospital Authority Head Office
Introduction :
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that necessitates continuous management to prevent complications and maintain quality of life. According to the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas 2021, the number of people with DM (aged from 20 to 79) stands at 686,000 and is projected to rise to 837,000 by 2030. The DM Care app, available within HA Go, designed to DM patients and their carers.
Objectives :
The primary objective of the app is to empower DM patients with a user-friendly tool to better self-management and healthy habits. With the extension of app usage to the carers of DM patients in October 2024, the goal is to encourage carers to become more involved in their loved one's care. The app aims to: (1) provide a digital platform for tracking food intake and health values, along with reliable DM education materials; (2) enable users to set personalized reminders to enhance adherence to regular glucose monitoring, medication intake and dietary management; (3) stimulate carers to actively participate in DM management.
Methodology :
The app was developed through a user-centred approach, featuring 3 main functionalities: Food Diary, DM Info and Reminder. The design included input from DM IT Working Group experts and consultations with DM patient groups to tailor the app to user preferences and needs.
The Food Diary function serves as an electronic journal for recording food consumption. Identifying food intake trends helps patients develop personalized meal plans and make dietary modifications to better glucose management.
The DM Info function provides accurate, reliable and up-to-date information on DM-related topics, delivering valuable educational resources to patients and carers. The content is patient-centred and personalized, allowing clinicians to prescribe tailored information.
The Reminder function allows users to set reminders for glucose monitoring, medication intake, dietary schedules and other self-care activities. Blood glucose values inputted by users are visible within the Clinical Management System, with the potential for sharing with the Electronic Patient Record system.
Result & Outcome :
Since its launch in December 2022, the app has been accessed over 300,000 times. The inclusion of carers, beginning in October 2024, has resulted in one-fourth of app users being carers, particularly engaging in Food Diary tasks. Patients and carers have accessed DM-related information over 14,000 times. Future enhancements will focus on adding functionalities such as insulin bolus dose calculator and protocol-driven automatic app prescriptions. Exploration on adopting AI technologies, for instance food recognition with carbohydrate calculation, will also be conducted to better meet the needs of DM patients and their carers.
