Effectiveness of mobile apps on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Abstract Introduction: The rising global prevalence of diabetes mellitus has necessitated the implementation of prompt interventions to manage diabetes. The advent of several technological developments and especially mobile technology has been assumed to present great potential to deliver prompt and cost-effective interventions for patients with diabetes. Aim: The present study aims to investigate the efficacy of interventions based on mobile apps in terms of glycemic control attainment among adults with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). Methodology: A research was constructed on online database PubMed and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), investigating mobile app-based interventions among adult patients with T2 DM, whilst the main outcome investigated was the assessment of the changes in glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Results: By applying the eligibility criteria 181 RCTs with full text. Across them 12 trials met the inclusion criteria for the present study and involved 2.533 patients with T2 DM, where the interventions were based on mobile applications. These app-based interventions were found to be efficient in obtaining glycemic control in terms of lowering HbA1c and improving several other secondary outcomes including self-management, quality of life and disease awareness. Conclusions: The usage of mobile health (mHealth) applications seems to be efficient in glycemic control of patients with diabetes as shown by the reduction of HbA1c levels. Future studies are needed, in order to evaluate the impact of such applications on diabetes care in the long term and their potential to support more diverse populations worldwide.

Keywords: type 2 Diabetes, Mellitus, mobile apps, self-management, glycosylated Hemoglobin A1c, self-monitoring of blood glucose