Mobile Phone Usage and Willingness to Use Mobile Phones to Support Medication Adherence and Receive Text Message Appointment Reminders in Older Outpatients With Type 2 Diabetes

• Published in: Journal of diabetes science and technology 2025-01, p.19322968241306438
• Main Authors: Vu, Huyen Thi Thanh, Nguyen, Thu Thi Hoai, Luu, Minh Ngoc, Nguyen, Thuy Phuong, Nguyen, Huong Thi Thu, Nguyen, Tam Ngoc, Nguyen, Thanh Xuan, Ha, Linh Vu Huyen, Nguyen, Huong Thi Thanh, Thillainadesan, Janani, Naganathan, Vasi, Do, Toan Thi Thanh, Nguyen, Anh Trung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 1932-2968; 1932-3107
• DOI: 10.1177/19322968241306438

Information technology can be used to improve the management of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes. This study aims to evaluate the willingness of older outpatients with type 2 diabetes to use mobile phones to support medication adherence and receive text message appointment reminders and investigated the factors associated with this willingness. This study was a cross-sectional study conducted at the outpatient department of Dong Da General Hospital. Participants aged 60 and over managed and treated for type 2 diabetes were asked about mobile phone usage. Data were also collected on sociodemographic information, diabetes characteristics, and medical history. In the 584 study participants recruited, the mean age was 73.2 (SD: 8.3) years. Approximately 80% patients with diabetes had medium or high treatment adherence and 52.4% had hemoglobin A1c (HbA ) < 7.5%. In the multilevel logistic regression analysis, the following factors were significantly associated with willingness to using phones to support medication adherence: college, university, or higher level (odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.10, 4.99), current smoking (OR = 5.40, 95% CI = 1.01, 28.94), whether they had a mobile phone and type of phone (basic phone: OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.42, 4.30; smartphone: OR = 17.93, 95% CI = 8.81, 36.47) . The following factors were significantly associated with willingness to receive these appointment reminders via mobile phone: whether they had a mobile phone and type of phone (basic phone: OR = 2.79, 95% CI = 1.70, 4.59; smartphone: OR = 9.61, 95% CI = 4.61, 19.99) and HbA < 7.5 (OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.43, 0.99). Our study would suggest that there is potential value in using mobile phone to improve the management of diabetes in community living older people but this alone cannot be relied upon.