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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Jan;13(1):75-81.
doi: 10.1177/1932296818804522. Epub 2018 Sep 28.

The Influence of the Smart Glucose Manager Mobile Application on Diabetes Management

Kasun C Gunawardena  1 , Renee Jackson  1 , Iva Robinett  2 , Lahiru Dhaniska  3 , Shaluka Jayamanne  4 , Sumedha Kalpani  4 , Dimuthu Muthukuda  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The Influence of the Smart Glucose Manager Mobile Application on Diabetes Management

Kasun C Gunawardena et al. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Smartphone use is rapidly growing in developing countries, providing opportunity for development of new health-based mobile applications. The present study investigated the efficacy of a newly designed mobile application, Smart Glucose Manager (SGM), in Sri Lankan patients with diabetes.

Methods: A total of 67 patients with access to Android smartphones were randomized into an SGM (n = 27) and a control group (n = 25). Glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) levels were measured at baseline and every 3 months afterward. The SGM group utilized the application daily, while control-group patients were instructed to continue their standard methods of diabetes management. Independent t-tests were utilized to assess A1c differences at 3 and 6 months postrandomization. A1c improvement, defined as A1c at 6 months minus baseline, was compared with SGM usage to assess effectiveness of diabetic management.

Results: At the 6-month follow up, the SGM group had significant lower A1c levels than the control group (7.2% vs 8.17%, P < .0001). For both groups, A1c values decreased from baseline to the 3 months (SGM: 9.52% to 8.16%, P < .0001; control: 9.44% to 8.31%, P < .0001). From 3 months to 6 months, the SGM group showed further improvement of A1c (-0.96% P < .0001), whereas the control group did not ( P = 0.19). A1c improvement was positively correlated with SGM usage ( R = .81, P < .001).

Conclusion: The SGM, a mobile application specifically designed to support self-management of diabetes, appeared to show long-term improvement of A1c levels in patients with diabetes residing in Sri Lanka.

Keywords: Sri Lanka; compliance; diabetes; glycosylated Hemoglobin (A1c); health care app; self-monitoring of blood glucose.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participants’ flow chart that follows recruitment, enrollment, randomization, and follow-up.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Smart Glucose Manager (SGM) interface. The SGM is an Android-based mobile application.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A1c change over 6 months in the SGM (red line) and the control group (blue line).
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
SGM usage. Percentages represent the number of participants using the SGM at a range of weekly frequencies.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Correlation between percentage A1c improvement from baseline to 6 months and SGM usage on a 1-10 scale.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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