Patient Preference and Satisfaction with the Use of Telemedicine for Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Review

Sim, Ruth; Lee, Shaun Wen Huey

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine has the potential to improve patient care and management for various chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. To ensure the success of any telemedicine program, there is a need to understand the patients’ satisfaction and their preferences. This review aims to collate and provide evidence related to practices that may influence the performance of telemedicine for patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We searched three electronic databases for studies examining patients’ satisfaction and preferences for using telemedicine in type 2 diabetes. An evaluation matrix was developed to collect the data from the included articles. A total of 20 articles were identified and data on the key outcomes identified were narratively synthesized. RESULTS: Patients were generally satisfied with the use of telemedicine for management of type 2 diabetes. Users reported that telemedicine was beneficial as it provided constant monitoring, improved access to healthcare providers, and reduced waiting time. When adopting a telemedicine platform, most patients expressed preference for mobile health (mHealth) as the telemedicine modality, especially if it has been endorsed by their physician. To improve usability and sustainability, patients suggested that modules related to diabetes education be enhanced, together with sufficient technical and physician support when adopting telemedicine. Patients also expressed the importance of having a sufficiently flexible platform that could be adapted to their needs. CONCLUSION: Personalized telemedicine strategies coupled with appropriate physician endorsement greatly influences a patient’s decision to undertake telemedicine. Future work should focus on improving telemedicine infrastructure and increasing physician’s involvement, especially during the implementation phase.