Visual dynamic e-module as a tool to fulfill informational needs and care continuum for diabetic patients.
BACKGROUND
Diabetes can be envisaged as a lifelong phenomenon having the ominous odds for multisystemic involvement in the duration of disease. The probabilities of the occurrence of these events are influenced by the adopted lifestyle. Hence, information about the disease and lifestyle modification are vital from the perspective of prognostics. This study attempts to explore the potential of a "visual dynamic tool" for imparting knowledge and consequently received acumen by diabetic patients.


OBJECTIVE
To appraise the effectiveness of a constructed visual dynamic module (encompassing the various dimensions related to and affected by diabetes) by capturing the opinions, perceptions, and experiences of the diabetic patients who underwent intervention through the module.


METHODS
A visual e-module with dynamically imposed and animated images in the vernacular (Hindi) was prepared. This module was instituted among the diabetic patients in a logical sequence for consecutive 3 days. All the diabetic patients who underwent this intervention were interviewed in depth in order to ascertain the effectiveness of the module. These interviews were analyzed by thematic and framework analyses.


RESULTS
The visual module was perceived by the diabetic patients as an optically engaging tool for receiving, connecting, and synthesizing information about diabetes. They sensed and expressed the ease to connect with the images and labeled the received information as inclusive.


CONCLUSIONS
Initial evidences suggest that visual e-module is an effective and efficient tool for knowledge management in diabetes. This issue may be further explored at diverse academic and clinical settings for gathering more information for efficacy.
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Mohan
M
Shinde
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Ankur
A
Joshi
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Vishwanath
V
Arutagi
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Daneshwar
D
Singh
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Vidhu Shekhar
VS
Khare
Department of Community Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Pulkit
P
Pandey
Diabetes; module; patient education; self-care