App Use and Patient Empowerment in Diabetes Self-Management: Advancing Theory-Guided mHealth Research

Patient empowerment is examined as a multi-dimensional factor influencing the use of diabetes self-management apps. The research design includes three studies conducted in Singapore. Study 1 examines how features of diabetes self-management apps correspond with theoretical indicators of empowerment, as well as app quality. Study 2 uses semi-structured face-to-face interviews with diabetes patients to draw first conclusions about the relevance of empowerment for diabetes app use. Study 3 includes an online patient survey, and uses cluster analytical methods to test the preliminary Study 2 results (typology of app use), as well as binary logistic regression to compare the strength of influence of various anteceding factors on the likelihood of diabetes app use. The studies show that especially the support by private social patient networks and the medical specialties of supervising physicians play a crucial role for technology-supported self-management.