mDAWN

Purpose

We are interested in exploring how technology can:

  • enhance diabetes health literacy;
  • activate patients and caregivers to adopt a variety of self-management practices, including self-monitoring and lifestyle modifications;
  • facilitate communication between patients and their caregivers; and
  • improve health outcomes of patients representing different minority cultural groups.

Overview

Mobile Digital Access to a Web-Enhanced Network (mDAWN) is a two year study that explores how mobile technology can help individuals manage diabetes. We are asking people with Type-2 diabetes who have access to a smartphone and Wi-Fi at home to spend some time using mobile technologies and then let us know what they think – what worked, what didn’t, what was useful, what wasn’t. We are also interested in knowing if these technologies can help caregivers (a family member or friend of a person with Type-2 diabetes).

Highlights

This project explores the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies in the care and management of type-2 diabetes among English-, Chinese- and Punjabi-speaking populations living in British Columbia. This study will engage each group around three kinds of technology-based interventions: text messages (SMS), a social website geared toward social use, and home monitoring of personal metrics such as weight, blood pressure and activity.  The groups are being run in sequential order – two English groups and one Chinese and Punjabi group – allowing for the implementation of quality improvement data before the program is introduced cross-culturally.

The second English group started on May 1st.

The project is currently recruiting for

  • Chinese group, starting July 1, 2014
  • Punjabi group, starting July 1, 2014

Contact

For more information, please contact Sophia Khan or visit the mDAWN project website.