@Article{info:doi/10.2196/11879,
author="Wallace, David
and Perry, Julie
and Yu, Janelle
and Mehta, Joshua
and Hunter, Paul
and Cross, Karen Michelle",
title="Assessing the Need for Mobile Health (mHealth) in Monitoring the Diabetic Lower Extremity",
journal="JMIR Mhealth Uhealth",
year="2019",
month="Apr",
day="16",
volume="7",
number="4",
pages="e11879",
keywords="mHealth; diabetes; diabetic foot ulcers",
abstract="Background: Complications of the diabetic lower extremity (such as diabetic foot ulcers, DFUs) occur when monitoring is infrequent, and often result in serious sequelae like amputation or even death. Objective: To evaluate the potential application of mobile health (mHealth) to diabetic foot monitoring. We surveyed the self-management routines of a group of diabetic patients, as well as patient and clinician opinions on the use of mHealth in this context. Methods: Patients with DFUs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed a 25-item questionnaire addressing their foot care practices, mobile phone use, and views on mHealth. Wound care clinicians across Canada were also surveyed using a 9-item questionnaire. Results: Of the patients surveyed, 59/115 (51.3{\%}) spend less than a minute checking their feet, and 17/115 (15{\%}) of patients find it difficult to see their doctor or get to the hospital regularly. Mobile phone use was widespread in our patient cohort (93/115, 80.9{\%}). Of mobile phone users, 68/93 (73.1{\%}) would use a device on their mobile phone to help them check their feet. Of the clinicians who completed the questionnaire, only 7/202 (3.5{\%}) were familiar with mHealth; however, 181/202 (92{\%}) of clinicians expressed interest in using mHealth to monitor their patients between visits. Conclusions: Patient education or motivation and clinician training were identified as the major barriers to mHealth use in the diabetic lower extremity, which may be a viable mechanism to improve DFU monitoring practices. ",
issn="2291-5222",
doi="10.2196/11879",
url="https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/4/e11879/",
url="https://doi.org/10.2196/11879",
url="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30990455"
}