Diabetes Care in the Digital Era: a Synoptic Overview

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Medical Informatics
• Diabetes Management

Background:

• Diabetes care is evolving with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) advancements.
• Existing reviews often focus on single ICT applications, lacking a comprehensive overview.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review ICT-based interventions for diabetes care.
• To identify challenges in adopting these technologies.
• To explore future directions for ICT in diabetes management.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of studies on telemedicine and eHealth for diabetes.
• Analysis of diverse ICT solutions including mobile apps, remote monitoring, and AI.

Main Results:

• A wide array of ICT solutions shows mixed results across various settings.
• Despite promising research, widespread adoption by health systems is limited.
• Key barriers include policy, reimbursement, business models, and data security/privacy.

Conclusions:

• ICT holds significant promise for improving diabetes care delivery.
• Addressing adoption barriers is crucial for realizing the full potential of digital health in diabetes management.
• Future efforts should focus on policy, sustainable models, and data security to facilitate widespread implementation.