There is potential for mHealth tools to better facilitate adherence to chronic disease management , but the evidence supporting its current effectiveness is mixed .
BACKGROUND Adherence to chronic disease management is critical to achieving improved health outcomes , quality of life , and cost-effective health care .
As the burden of chronic diseases continues to grow globally , so does the impact of non-adherence .
Mobile technologies are increasingly being used in health care and public health practice ( mHealth ) for patient communication , monitoring , and education , and to facilitate adherence to chronic diseases management .
OBJECTIVE We conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth in supporting the adherence of patients to chronic diseases management ( " mAdherence " ) , and the usability , feasibility , and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among patients and health care providers .
Computerized Automated Reminder Diabetes System (CARDS): e-mail and SMS cell phone text messaging reminders to support diabetes management.
BACKGROUND Cell phone text messaging , via the Short Messaging Service ( SMS ) , offers the promise of a highly portable , well-accepted , and inexpensive modality for engaging youth and young adults in the management of their diabetes . This pilot and feasibility study compared two-way SMS cell phone messaging with e-mail reminders that were directed at encouraging blood glucose ( BG ) monitoring . METHODS Forty insulin-treated adolescents and young adults with diabetes were r and omized to receive  electronic reminders  to check their BG levels  via cell phone text messaging or e-mail reminders for a 3-month pilot study . Electronic messages were automatically generated , and participant replies with BG results were processed by the locally developed Computerized Automated Reminder Diabetes System ( CARDS ) . Participants set their schedule for reminders on the secure CARDS website where they could also enter and review BG data . RESULTS Of the 40 participants , 22 were r and omized to receive cell phone text message reminders and 18 to receive e-mail reminders ; 18 in the cell phone group and 11 in the e-mail group used the system . Compared to the e-mail group , users in the cell phone group received more reminders ( 180.4 vs. 106.6 per user ) and responded with BG results significantly more often ( 30.0 vs. 6.9 per user , P = 0.04 ) . During the first month cell phone users su bmi tted twice as many BGs as e-mail users ( 27.2 vs. 13.8 per user ) ; by month 3 , usage waned . CONCLUSIONS Cell phone text messaging to promote BG monitoring is a viable and acceptable option in adolescents and young adults with diabetes . However , maintaining interest levels for prolonged intervals remains a challenge
There is potential for mHealth tools to better facilitate adherence to chronic disease management , but the evidence supporting its current effectiveness is mixed .
BACKGROUND Adherence to chronic disease management is critical to achieving improved health outcomes , quality of life , and cost-effective health care .
As the burden of chronic diseases continues to grow globally , so does the impact of non-adherence .
Mobile technologies are increasingly being used in health care and public health practice ( mHealth ) for patient communication , monitoring , and education , and to facilitate adherence to chronic diseases management .
OBJECTIVE We conducted a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of mHealth in supporting the adherence of patients to chronic diseases management ( " mAdherence " ) , and the usability , feasibility , and acceptability of mAdherence tools and platforms in chronic disease management among patients and health care providers .