Project Will Test Mobile Health Devices as Diabetes Control Tool

A project to be launched in Texas will test the ability of mobile health devices to help patients control diabetes. The project, a collaboration among the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and AT&T, was announced on Monday.

The project will enroll inhabitants of an underserved, minority community in Dallas with diabetes or at risk of developing the condition who will receive training in how to manage diabetes and related chronic conditions from educators via a smart phone video app. (AT&T is helping to fund the study and will prove around 150 smart phones to patients, diabetes educators, and other education personnel.)

“This project is critical to evaluating mHealth and demonstrating whether it results in positive health outcomes comparable to face-to-face interactions,” said AADE Chief Executive Officer Lana Vukovljak in a press release. “If so, it can be a solution to the challenge of providing diabetes education and meeting the needs of people in underserved populations with diabetes.”

Once complete, the AADE will evaluate the project to see whether education via mobile devices is as effective as in-person instruction.

Source

HHS, American Association of Diabetes Educators and AT&T Announce mHealth Initiative to Deliver Diabetes Self-Management Training [AT&T Press Release]