title: Long-Term Engagement with Health-Management Technology: a Dynamic Process in Diabetes.
abstract: Diabetes management is a complex, dynamic process that is largely incumbent on patient choices and behavior. We explore how health-management needs-and the needs for technological support-change over time for individuals with diabetes. Through interviews and a focus group, we found that after initial diagnosis, individuals face acute information needs and chiefly turn to mobile applications and Internet resources to help understand the diabetes-specific factors that affect their health. Over time their focus shifts from highly regimented routines to more flexible ones that enable them to maintain a quality of life. Our results suggest that long-term engagement with health technology does not necessarily require continuous, sustained use: routine disease management could lead to a decrease in use, until a new event occurs. Our findings point to a need for tools that help patients with diabetes to effectively manage their health as their bodies, treatment and circumstances change over time.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Predrag
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Klasnja
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Logan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blondon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063731:Mobile Applications / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care; D000073278:Self-Management; D055815:Young Adult