The effectiveness of digital health technologies for patients with diabetes mellitus: A systematic review

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. At the same time, digital health technologies (DHTs), which include mobile health apps (mHealth) have been rapidly gaining popularity in the self-management of chronic diseases, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while a great variety of DM-specific mHealth apps exist on the market, the evidence supporting their clinical effectiveness is still limited.

Methods: A systematic review was performed. A systematic search was conducted in a major electronic database to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth interventions in DM published between June 2010 and June 2020. The studies were categorized by the type of DM and impact of DM-specific mHealth apps on the management of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was analysed.

Results: In total, 25 studies comprising 3,360 patients were included. The methodological quality of included trials was mixed. Overall, participants diagnosed with T1DM, T2DM and Prediabetes all demonstrated greater improvements in HbA1c as a result of using a DHT compared with those who experienced usual care. The analysis revealed an overall improvement in HbA1c compared with usual care, with a mean difference of –0.56% for T1DM, –0.90% for T2DM and –0.26% for Prediabetes.

Conclusion: DM-specific mHealth apps may reduce HbA1c levels in patients with T1DM, T2DM and Prediabetes. The review highlights a need for further research on the wider clinical effectiveness of diabetes-specific mHealth specifically within T1DM and Prediabetes. These should include measures which go beyond HbA1c, capturing outcomes including short-term glycemic variability or hypoglycemic events.