A Review of Mobile Terminal-Based Applications for Self-Management of Patients with Diabetes

Peer-reviewed studies of mobile terminal-based applications for self-management of patients with diabetes were reviewed. Databases of medical and engineering studies were searched for relevant publications, and 39 publications describing 28 studies were identified as examining feasibility, acceptability or effectiveness using empirical methods, preferably involving prospective users. Research methods, application design, and findings were summarized. The current status is that the key features of successful applications for diabetes management have not yet been clarified because of the difficulties in statistical comparison between studies and the limitations of each study. The importance of clarifying the key feature for enhancing motivation in long-term self-management of diabetes taking human-factor-engineering methods into account is discussed.