title: The evaluation of diabetic patients' use of a telehealth program.
abstract: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that, if not treated promptly and appropriately, can cause complex health complications and mortality. Care models that apply technology, such as telehealth, may be useful in working with diabetes patients. The development and application of wireless communication telehealth have significantly affected healthcare in recent years. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate diabetic patients' use of a telehealth program by using questionnaire survey and laboratory data results. A quantitative study, 1-group pretest-posttest design, was conducted. This study recruited 20 diabetic patients who received telehealth service to measure their glucose, heart rate, and blood pressure, with data uploaded back to the hospital daily. A questionnaire survey was conducted in May 2012 and between August and January 2013 with 20 participants. The test values (blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose) of subjects were obtained from the hospital telecare platform and the outpatient monthly reporting system. Study findings showed an overall satisfaction rating of 91% by telehealth participants. Nonparametric statistical analysis demonstrated a significant difference (P < .01) in participants' glycosylated hemoglobin and resultant effective control. These findings indicated that participants accepted this care model, and telehealth could improve participants' glucose control.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: School of Nursing, College of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing & Health Sciences (Dr Lee); and Nursing Department, Wan Fang Hospital (Ms Huang), Taipei; Tzu Chi College of Technology, Department of Nursing, Hualien (Dr Chang); College of Health Care Administration and Management, Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing & Health Sciences, Taipei (Dr Lin); and Community Health Center (Mss Tu and Fan), En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; and School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD (Dr Mills).
authors.forename: Ting-Ting
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tzu-Yi
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chi-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Kuan-Chia
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsiu-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Ching-Jih
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Mary Etta
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mills
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020811:Biomedical Technology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D019090:Case Management; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin