Complementarity of Digital Health and Peer Support: "This Is What's Coming"

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Diabetes self-management
• Health coaching

Background:

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) requires continuous self-management.
• Scalable models are needed to support individuals with T2DM.
• Integrating technology with human support can enhance self-management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the integration of a Food and Drug Administration-cleared diabetes management app (DMA) and peer support.
• To assess the feasibility of this combined approach as a scalable model for T2DM self-management support.
• To evaluate participant engagement and clinical outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A 6-month study involving 43 adults with T2DM.
• Delivery of telephone-based self-management support by lay health coaches.
• Provision of no-cost access to a DMA for monitoring and personalized messaging.
• Data collection through DMA, electronic medical records, and qualitative interviews.
• Analysis of quantitative usage data and qualitative feedback on adoptability, value, and sustainability.

Main Results:

• High enrollment in DMA (88.4%) and combined use of DMA and coaches.
• Significant correlation between DMA entries and coach contacts, indicating complementarity.
• Mean hemoglobin A1c (A1c) declined significantly from 9.93% to 8.86% (p < 0.001).
• No specific pattern of DMA or coach use was significantly linked to A1c reduction.
• Coordination of interventions emerged as a key sustainability challenge.

Conclusions:

• Diabetes management apps and peer support are compatible and complementary.
• This integrated model shows potential for enhancing diabetes self-management.
• Further research on practice integration is crucial for adoption and scale-up.