The Use of mHealth Apps for the Assessment and Management of Diabetes-Related Foot Health Outcomes: Systematic Review

• Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
• Main Authors: Sean Sadler, James Gerrard, Angela Searle, Sean Lanting, Matthew West, Rhonda Wilson, Athula Ginige, Kerry Y Fang, Vivienne Chuter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: JMIR Publications 2023
• Subjects: Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics; R858-859.7; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; First Nations
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2196/47608; https://doaj.org/article/954d2e8a37684759bb5367e7878fa3e4

BackgroundGlobally, diabetes affects approximately 500 million people and is predicted to affect up to 700 million people by 2045. In Australia, the ongoing impact of colonization produces inequity in health care delivery and inequality in health care outcomes for First Nations Peoples, with diabetes rates 4 times those of non-Indigenous Australians. Evidence-based clinical practice has been shown to reduce complications of diabetes-related foot disease, including ulceration and amputation, by 50%. However, factors such as a lack of access to culturally safe care, geographical remoteness, and high costs associated with in-person care are key barriers for First Nations Peoples in accessing evidence-based care, leading to the development of innovative mobile health (mHealth) apps as a way to increase access to health services and improve knowledge and self-care management for people with diabetes. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate studies investigating the use of mHealth apps for the assessment and management of diabetes-related foot health in First Nations Peoples in Australia and non-Indigenous populations globally. MethodsPubMed, Informit’s Indigenous Collection database, Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Complete, and Scopus were searched from inception to September 8, 2022. Hand searches of gray literature and reference lists of included studies were conducted. Studies describing mHealth apps developed for the assessment and management of diabetes-related foot health were eligible. Studies must include an evaluation (qualitative or quantitative) of the mHealth app. No language, publication date, or publication status restrictions were used. Quality appraisal was performed using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and the Health Evidence Bulletins Wales checklists for observational, cohort, and qualitative studies. ResultsNo studies specifically including First Nations Peoples in Australia were identified. Six studies in non-Indigenous populations with 361 participants were included. ...