Application Analysis Of Self-management Software For Diabetes Patients

Objective: To analyze the development status of mobile applications for diabetes self-management in Chinese market, and to investigate the prospect of using Mobile Health technologies for diabetes management.Methods: Mobile applications for diabetes self-management on the Apple App Store (Chinese area) were searched, which served as a representative of commercially available applications in Chinese market. Applications which met the inclusion criteria were downloaded and installed for test use. Data were extracted to identify the strengths and limitations of these applications. Relevant articles were reviewed to discuss the usability and the possible direction for future development.Results: 42 applications met the inclusion criteria. The main functions available are blood glucose record, diet, physical activities, insulin, medication management, and education. Forty-one of the inclusive applications have the function of blood glucose recording,21 of them have medication record function, the number of application which have diet record function is 20, and there are 19 applications which have physical activities record function. Twenty applications have the function of diabetes education. The function of setting alarm and online consultation with health professionals are also worthy of note. Meanwhile, some aspects still need to be improved.Conclusion: The main functions of mobile applications for diabetes self-management in Chinese market are blood glucose record, diet, physical activities, insulin, medication record, and diabetes education. Though there is still some issues need to be solved, mobile applications for diabetes self-management are proved to be feasible. Studies on whether these applications could help to improve blood glucose situation showed inconsistent results, further research is needed.