What Do Patients Want in Chronic Disease Management Tools?

 In the world of chronic disease management tools, not all technologies are created equal. According to a new Regenstrief Institute study, care management apps that offer patient data access and data analysis are the most useful to patient end-users. The study, also completed by the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health and Indiana University School of Medicine, looked particularly at what patients want in an app for diabetes care management. Some patients are falling through the cracks. Despite the availability of chronic disease management technologies, experts have said it can be hard to get patients to actually use these tools. This study looked at 92 adult patients with diabetes, most of whom had Type 2 diabetes and had been managing the illness for at least 12 years. Most of these patients had some diabetes complications, including short-term memory loss, retinopathy, and mobility impairment with the use of a cane, walker, or wheelchair.