A new study was released today by the Center for Connected Health (a division of Partners HealthCare) that says parents of kids with diabetes are very receptive to using cell phones to help manage their child's diabetes.
To assist in diabetes management, there currently exists a prototype for a mobile phone glucometer that monitors a person's blood sugar or glucose.
More than two-thirds (69.3 percent) of the parents of kids with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes completing an online survey revealed a "very positive" response to the proposed mobile phone glucometer. As well, more than half of the parents expressed interest in signing up for the service.
This study was published in the Nov. 2009 issue (Volume 3, Issue 6) of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. The goal of the Center for Connected Health is to create "innovative interventions to deliver quality patient care outside of the traditional medical setting".
"These study results provide strong evidence for the link between current problems in our medical system and the willingness for parents to adopt new technologies that can overcome these problems," said Center for Connected Health director Joseph C. Kvedar in a Tuesday statement.
Overall, parents expressed the most concern with access to their child's provider with 84.9 percent wanting shorter waiting times and 78.7 percent desiring easier phone access to their physician.
The study also revealed that 77.8 percent want to be able to contact their provider via email to discuss their child's diabetes.
The center says diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents. About 151,000 people below the age of 20 years old have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Links to related information can be found below.
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