Nearly 70 percent of parents of children with diabetes have a "very positive" impression of a prototype mobile phone that collects and transmits blood-sugar readings to doctors, a new study suggests. And more than half of the parents would be interested in signing up for phone-based glucometer service, according to the study, conducted by the Center for Connected Health at Partners HealthCare System in Boston, and published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology.
The researchers surmise that unmet parental needs, such as limited access to providers, the desire for better information and support and the complexity of managing children with diabetes, make parents so willing to consider the mobile glucometer. Indeed, nearly 85 percent of the 202 respondents expressed concern with physician waiting times and 78 percent said they would like to be able to contact their child's care provider via email.
"These study results provide strong evidence for the link between current problems in our medical system and the willingness for parents to adopt new technologies that can overcome these problems," Center for Connected Health Director Dr. Joseph C. Kvedar said in a written statement.
To learn more about this study:
- read this Healthcare IT News story
- take a look at this Center for Connected Health press release
- peruse the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology study abstract (.pdf)