Telemedicine had no convincing effect on quality of life , mortality or hypoglycemia .
INTERPRETATION : Compared with usual care , the addition of telemedicine , especially systems that allowed medication adjustments with or without text messaging or a Web portal , improved HbA1C but not other clinical ly relevant outcomes among patients with diabetes
BACKGROUND : Telemedicine , the use of telecommunications to deliver health services , expertise and information , is a promising but unproven tool for improving the quality of  diabetes care  .
We summarized the effectiveness of different methods of telemedicine for the management of diabetes compared with usual care .
Utility of a Web-based Intervention for Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes: The Impact on Physical Activity Levels and Glycemic Control
Despite the numerous benefits of physical activity for patients with diabetes , most healthcare providers in busy clinical setting s rarely find time to counsel their patients about it . A Web-based program for healthcare providers can be used as an effective counseling tool , when strategies are outlined for specific stages of readiness for physical activity . Seventy-three adults with type 2 diabetes were r and omly assigned to Web-based intervention , printed- material intervention , or usual care . After 12 weeks , the effects of the interventions on physical activity , fasting blood sugar , and glycosylated hemoglobin were evaluated . Both Web-based and printed material intervention , compared with usual care , were effective in increasing physical activity ( P < .001 ) and decreasing fasting blood sugar ( P<.01 ) and glycosylated hemoglobin ( P < .01 ) . Post hoc analysis for change scores indicated significant differences between Web-based intervention and usual care and between printed material intervention and usual care , but not between web-based and printed material intervention . The findings of this study support the value of Web-based and printed material interventions in healthcare counseling . With increasing Web access , the effectiveness of Web-based programs offered directly to patients needs to be tested
Telemedicine had no convincing effect on quality of life , mortality or hypoglycemia .
INTERPRETATION : Compared with usual care , the addition of telemedicine , especially systems that allowed medication adjustments with or without text messaging or a Web portal , improved HbA1C but not other clinical ly relevant outcomes among patients with diabetes
BACKGROUND : Telemedicine , the use of telecommunications to deliver health services , expertise and information , is a promising but unproven tool for improving the quality of  diabetes care  .
We summarized the effectiveness of different methods of telemedicine for the management of diabetes compared with usual care .