Pilot study of a virtual diabetes clinic: satisfaction and usability

We developed a virtual clinic to assist patients who use insulin pumps in the management of their diabetes. The virtual clinic offered access to information, communication with health professionals and interaction with peers. Seventeen patients were recruited from three hospital clinics. Participant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of telemedicine and telecare 2009-04, Vol.15 (3), p.150-152
Main Authors: Powell, John, Jennings, Amy, Armstrong, Natalie, Sturt, Jackie, Dale, Jeremy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Attitude to Computers
Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - drug therapy
Female
Humans
Insulin Infusion Systems
Internet
Male
Middle Aged
Patient Satisfaction
Peer Group
Pilot Projects
Surveys and Questionnaires
Telemedicine - utilization
User-Computer Interface
Young Adult
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Summary:We developed a virtual clinic to assist patients who use insulin pumps in the management of their diabetes. The virtual clinic offered access to information, communication with health professionals and interaction with peers. Seventeen patients were recruited from three hospital clinics. Participants completed questionnaires before and after using the clinic for a six-month period. Usage was initially high but then declined. In the first two months 1691 page-views were recorded, but in the final two months only 355 page-views were registered. Users found participation reassuring. They rated peer interaction as the most desirable and the most useful of the features available. Using an Internet-based clinic to support the self-management of diabetes is feasible and acceptable to patients.
ISSN:1357-633X
1758-1109
DOI:10.1258/jtt.2009.003014