There were three reported  deaths out of 3578 participants .Computer-based  diabetes self-management interventions currently have limited effectiveness .
Current interventions do not show adequate evidence for improving depression , health-related quality of life or weight .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Computer-based diabetes self-management interventions to manage type 2 diabetes appear to have a small beneficial effect on blood glucose control and the effect was larger in the mobile phone subgroup .
There is no evidence to show benefits in other biological outcomes or any cognitive , behavioural or emotional outcomes
BACKGROUND Diabetes is one of the commonest chronic medical conditions , affecting around 347 million adults worldwide .
Structured patient education programmes reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications four-fold .
Internet-based self-management programmes have been shown to be effective for a number of long-term conditions , but it is unclear what are the essential or effective components of such programmes .
If computer-based self-management interventions improve outcomes in type 2 diabetes , they could potentially provide a cost-effective option for reducing the burdens placed on patients and healthcare systems by this long-term condition .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects on health status and health-related quality of life of computer-based diabetes self-management interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus .
Automated messaging to improve compliance with diabetes test monitoring.
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the use of automated systems to prompt patients with diabetes mellitus to obtain overdue laboratory tests for its effectiveness in promoting test compliance and to compare letters , telephone messages , and combinations . STUDY DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . METHODS All subjects ( N = 13,057 ) were adult members of Southern California Kaiser Permanente with diabetes and with no record of glycosylated hemoglobin , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and urinary microalbumin tests in more than 1 year . The effectiveness of automated telephone calls and letters was compared versus a no-contact control group using the following 5 intervention groups : letter , call , letter that is followed by a call 4 weeks later , call that is followed by a letter 4 weeks later , and letter-call-letter combination . Messages were in English and in Spanish . Adherence to all testing was compared at 8 weeks and 12 weeks after initial contact using chi(2 ) test and logistic regression analysis . RESULTS The proportions of each study group compliant with all tests were 18 % to 19 % among controls , 21 % for a letter or a call , 25 % for a letter-call or call-letter , and 26 % for a letter-call-letter ; letter-call and call-letter were significantly different versus controls ( P < .001 ) , and letter-call-letter was not significantly different versus letter-call .  Older age was associated with compliance ( P < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS The pairing of automated letters and telephone calls in any order was more effective than any single intervention in promoting compliance with diabetes monitoring tests . The relative cost of the letter-call and call-letter approaches to outreach should be considered to determine which is preferred in any given situation
There were three reported  deaths out of 3578 participants .Computer-based  diabetes self-management interventions currently have limited effectiveness .
Current interventions do not show adequate evidence for improving depression , health-related quality of life or weight .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Computer-based diabetes self-management interventions to manage type 2 diabetes appear to have a small beneficial effect on blood glucose control and the effect was larger in the mobile phone subgroup .
There is no evidence to show benefits in other biological outcomes or any cognitive , behavioural or emotional outcomes
BACKGROUND Diabetes is one of the commonest chronic medical conditions , affecting around 347 million adults worldwide .
Structured patient education programmes reduce the risk of diabetes-related complications four-fold .
Internet-based self-management programmes have been shown to be effective for a number of long-term conditions , but it is unclear what are the essential or effective components of such programmes .
If computer-based self-management interventions improve outcomes in type 2 diabetes , they could potentially provide a cost-effective option for reducing the burdens placed on patients and healthcare systems by this long-term condition .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects on health status and health-related quality of life of computer-based diabetes self-management interventions for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus .