The review indicates that most telemedicine strategies can be useful , either as an adjunct or to replace usual care , leading to clinical ly meaningful reduction in HbA1c
The effects of telemedicine strategies on the management of diabetes is not clear .
This study aim ed to investigate the impact of different telemedicine strategies on glycaemic control management of type 2 diabetes patients .
Spanish Diabetes Self-Management With and Without Automated Telephone Reinforcement
OBJECTIVE —To determine 1 ) whether participants in the Spanish Diabetes Self-Management Program ( SDSMP ) , when compared at 6 months to r and omized control subjects , would demonstrate improvements in health status , health behaviors , and self-efficacy ; and 2 ) whether SDSMP participants receiving monthly automated telephone reinforcement would maintain improvements at 18 months better than those not receiving reinforcement . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —A total of 567 Spanish-speaking adults with type 2 diabetes were r and omized to a usual-care control group or 6-week community-based , peer-led SDSMP . SDSMP participants were re-r and omized to receive 15 months of automated telephone messages or no reinforcement . A1C was measured at baseline and 6 and 18 months . All other data were collected by self-administered question naires . RESULTS —At 6 months SDSMP participants compared with control subjects demonstrated improvements in A1C ( −0.4 % ) , health distress , symptoms of hypo- and hyperglycemia , and self-efficacy ( P < 0.05 ) . At 18 months all improvements persisted ( P < 0.05 ) . SDSMP participants also demonstrated improvements in self-rated health and communication with physicians , had fewer emergency room visits ( −0.18 visits in 6 months , P < 0.05 ) , and trended toward fewer visits to physicians . At 18 months the only difference between reinforced and nonreinforced participants was increased glucose monitoring for the reinforcement group . CONCLUSIONS —The SDSMP  demonstrated effectiveness in lowering A1C and improving health status . Reinforcement did not add to its effectiveness . Given the high needs of the Spanish-speaking population , the SDSMP deserves consideration for implementation
The review indicates that most telemedicine strategies can be useful , either as an adjunct or to replace usual care , leading to clinical ly meaningful reduction in HbA1c
The effects of telemedicine strategies on the management of diabetes is not clear .
This study aim ed to investigate the impact of different telemedicine strategies on glycaemic control management of type 2 diabetes patients .