Use of Smartphone Applications for Diabetes Management in Kuwait: A Pilot Study

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dasman Diabetes Institute (Kuwait) to investigate the attitudes to smartphone diabetes-related applications used by diabetic patients. In total, 111 patients aged 59.0 ± 9.0 years completed the questionnaires. Most of the respondents were Kuwaiti (83%), with type 2 diabetes (79%) and had had diabetes for more than five years (93%). Although most respondents owned a smartphone (94%), only 12% were using diabetes-related applications. Barriers included unawareness, language, losing interest, lack of time and complicated use. Medical appointment reminder was an important desired feature. Designing apps in the Arabic-language with easy to use features is recommended.

KEYWORDS:

• Diabetes mellitus
• health informatics
• m-Health
• smartphone app
• telemedicine

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the HIM staff at Dasman Diabetes Institute especially Mr. Mahmoud Masoud, and Miss Manal Al-Farsi for receiving the questionnaires.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Heba Abduo

Heba Abduo is a Senior Pharmacist at Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait and Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. She completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy at the University of Otago in 2003, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Informatics at the same University in 2013. Also, she completed a Master in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Tasmania in 2019. Heba has a special interest in health informatics and diabetes.

Colin Curtain

Colin Curtain completed a Bachelor of Pharmacy at the University of Tasmania in 1988. Since then he has worked primarily as a community pharmacist and briefly in hospital pharmacy. In 2014 he completed a PhD on the Evaluation of clinical decision support provided by medication review software. Colin’s is currently a lecturer in pharmacy and he has an interest in information technology, clinical decision support and aged care.

Nashwa Othman

Nashwa Othman completed a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Assuit in 1989 and holds a Doctor degree in Public Health Science from Alexandrea University of Egypt. She is an Affiliated Lecturer in Faculty of Nursing at Mansoura University with an experience of teaching and training undergraduate and postgraduate students. Nashwa is currently a Senior Specialist Diabetes Educator at Dasman Diabetes Institute in Kuwait, and a member of several academic committees concerning her main field of interest including diabetes and organ transplantation.