Diabetes Educators Offer Tips for Choosing Useful Health Care Apps (Video)
by N.Morgan
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An abundance of smartphone apps offer people living with diabetes assistance in many aspects of disease management, from self-monitoring to communication to dosing and insulin titration.
The options can be overwhelming, but diabetes educators can help users narrow them down to find apps that are appropriate based on individual medical needs, health literacy levels and familiarity with technology.
One of the most important functions of a diabetes management app is to “help people feel less overwhelmed,” according to Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, FAADE, an Endocrine Today Editorial Board member and a diabetes educator in private practice.
“Apps are not for everybody,” Weiner said. People with diabetes who are not interested in these tools — whether due to health literacy issues, difficulty using technology or any other reason — should not be pushed to use them, she said.
But for those who do express interest, Weiner and Jennifer C. Smith, RD, LD, CDE, director of lifestyle and nutrition at Integrated Diabetes Services in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, offer some tips for choosing among apps.
Simplify, don’t complicate
More than 1,000 apps for diabetes management are available, in addition to the more than 40,000 health management apps, so narrowing the options is key, according to Smith.
Smartphone users might want to try first the health data app that comes with their phone’s operating system — for most, either Apple Health or Google Fit, Smith said. Although many users disable them due to privacy concerns, these apps can help cut down on the clutter, she said.
“This link on the back helps these apps to ‘talk’ to each other,” Smith said. For example, an iPhone user can check Apple Health to get data from their continuous glucose monitor, glucose monitor and general food and exercise apps.
Additionally, using a smartphone’s preinstalled note-taking app to record feelings or mood throughout the day instead of downloading another app can be helpful.
Smith, who has diabetes, said she generally recommends limiting the number of diabetes management apps.
“For health tracking, the more features you can get in one app, the easier it is for someone to continue to use the app,” she said. “If they are tracking in multiple places, even if the apps ‘talk’ to each other, it becomes too much.”
Consider lifestyle
In addition to tracking data, Smith said some apps keep caregivers informed and can be used for both children and adults with diabetes.
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