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Patient Preference and Satisfaction with the Use of Telemedicine for Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Review
Received 25 November 2020
Accepted for publication 21 January 2021
Published 10 February 2021 Volume 2021:15 Pages 283—298
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/PPA.S271449
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 3
Editor who approved publication: Dr Johnny Chen
Ruth Sim,1 Shaun Wen Huey Lee2,3
1School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 2School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia; 3Asian Centre for Evidence Synthesis in Population, Implementation and Clinical Outcomes (PICO), Health and Well-Being Cluster, Global Asia in the 21st Century (GA21) Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
Correspondence: Shaun Wen Huey Lee
School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Email shaun.lee@monash.edu
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.
Keywords: type 2 diabetes, satisfaction, preference, telemedicine, mHealth, review
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