Improvement in glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes with treatment using an interactive mobile application - A pilot study from India

Aims: We studied the outcome of glycaemic management using Diahome, a smart-phone application compared to conventional treatment. Overall acceptability of the application among users was also assessed.Methods: This is a retrospective, case-control study of patients on virtual diabetes care using the Diahome app (n = 441) and those visited the hospital out-patient services (n = 446) between April and June 2021. Men and women aged 45-60 years with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were selected.Results: A total of 173 records with initial and follow-up visits were analyzed (app users n = 91, non-app users n = 82). Participants were aged 59 +/- 12 years and were obese. The two groups were similar by age, gender distribution and duration of T2DM. Fasting blood glucose significantly reduced only among the app-users from a baseline level of 156 +/- 70 mg/dl to 129 +/- 40 mg/dl at follow-up (p < 0.02). Reduction in HbA1c levels was observed in both groups (p < 0.0001); percentage improvement was better among app (15.8%) than in non-app users (10.4%), p = 0.004. Triglycerides level were higher at both time points among app-users (p < 0.05) as compared to the other group. More than 56% of the users rated the performance of Diahome app as excellent; virtual consultation was rated the highest (71.5%) among the Diahome services.Discussion: Glycaemic management of diabetes using a dedicated mobile application was superior to in-person hospital visits. Its long-term effectiveness and cost savings need to be ascertained.