A recent article in Eye for Pharma sites the use of mobile technology for managing A1C levels in type 2 diabetes. To quote, "in one study, published in Diabetes Technologies and Therapeutics, patients who used the cell phone platform experienced an average 2.03-point decrease in their A1C levels, while the control group experienced a 0.58-point increase. Additionally, patients who used the phone were more likely to switch to brands that offered such a platform, and doctors gave the product a 100 percent physician satisfaction rating, stating that it made the information they could see about their patients more comprehensive."
The solution is from a new vendor called Welldoc that supplies similar solutions across multiple therapeutic categories.
Similar trends on shifting to mobile are growing, as in headache calendars for migraine sufferers reported in Practical Neurology this November 2009.
In fact, the mobile app solutions needs to be combined with healthcare professional review of tracking data, to insure compliance. However, the pervasiveness and portability of mobile, plus consistent data capture, could improve the quality of patient tracking and feedback to patients vs. paper-based compliance trackers.
