5 / 5
Page 26
Notes:
allied
academies
International Conference on
FAMILY MEDICINE AND FAMILY PHYSICIANS
October 16-17, 2017 | Toronto, Canada
Arch Gen Intern Med 2017 | Volume 1 Issue 3
A health equity perspective on mHealth applications for the self-management of diabetes
Reshma Prashad, MHI, PhD
York University, Toronto, Canada
Statement of the problem:
Diabetes is among one of the
leading cause of morbidity and premature mortality in
Canada. Given the clinical and economic burden of caring
for pre-diabetic and diabetic patients, healthcare providers
and organizations are seeking new ways of caring for this
large population of patients. They are turning to digital
health specifically mobile health applications to help them
proactively manage these patients. In addition, they are
seeking to empower these patients to proactively self-
manage their condition. However, concerns have risen about
the feasibility of these new modes of patient engagement to
actually reach the patient populations that can benefit the
most from them. The purpose of this study is to highlight
these concerns and propose ways to address them.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation:
A scoping review
utilizing the Arksey & O’Malley framework was conducted
with peer reviewed journal articles published between 2010
and 2016. A health equity lens was utilized to focus on the
interaction between the clinicians, healthcare organizations,
patients and mobile diabetes applications to understand
these relationships and the context in which it takes place.
Findings: Mobile diabetes applications have the potential
to be valuable to patients with pre-diabetes and diabetes,
however because of a lack of considerations by clinicians and
healthcare organizations, the patients that can benefit the
most frommobile diabetes applications are not able to do so
due to several factors.
Conclusion & Significance:
Clinicians and healthcare
organizations must recognize and acknowledge the diverse
needs of marginalized and vulnerable pre-diabetic and
diabetic patients in order to effectively engage them in self-
management of their conditions through the use of mobile
diabetes applications. Recommendations are made to help
clinicians and healthcare organizations recognize the barriers
to the effective utilization of mobile diabetes applications by
marginalized and vulnerable patient groups.
Speaker Biography
Reshma Prashad has expertise in the implementation and evaluation of digital health
technologies in Canada. Her utilization of a health equity lens in this area of research is
unique and adds a critical perspective on engaging marginalized and vulnerable patient
e:
Reshma.Prashad@gmail.com