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BOSTON — Researchers from the Organization for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) have found that blood glucose levels among those with Type 2 Diabetes can be reduced by up to 1.1% when patients use digital health tools alongside their standard medication.
Patients with Type 1 Diabetes can reduce their blood sugar (HbA1c) by up to 0.5%.
The reductions in blood sugar levels are significant because every 0.1% decrease reduces the risk of retinal damage, kidney failure, ulceration, and limb amputation.
Additionally, patients with Type 1 Diabetes experienced a 37% reduction in microvascular complications (which can lead to blindness) having reduced their blood sugar by just 1%.
Eleven per cent of people in the US now have Diabetes and 38% have pre-Diabetes. Health apps can help patients track activity, food intake and medication, while giving peer support and remotely monitoring their data, aiding their physicians.
ORCHA’s researchers examined 25 global, independent randomized trials of diabetes control. The study, published in Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare, reported significant results, especially for the US.
- Nearly half the patients involved were American (1,559 out of 3,360 patients).
- A Los Angeles study found that where oral therapies were failing those with uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes, digital health apps helped medication adherence by more than 80%.
- A North Carolina study among veterans concluded that digital health apps could be a practical ‘real world’ way of reducing the burden of poor diabetes control.
Dr Leigh said: “This is a commanding result which we hope healthcare payers and providers will take note of. It shows that health apps can be an effective part of controlling blood sugar levels.”
This is the first systematic review of these clinical trials. It found that in 21 out of the 25 trials, patients using digital health tools to supplement their care achieved better HbA1c (blood sugar) results.
In 20 out of the 25 trials, there were also reductions in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and BMI.
For Type 2 Diabetes, the improvements in blood sugar levels were similar to the benefits patients receive when using Metformin, a commonly used medicine to lower blood sugar levels.
Healthcare providers and health tech developers in twelve countries use the ORCHA software platform to assess digital health apps. ORCHA has completed over 24,000 assessments on 7,000 apps. For more info, please visit: us.orchahealth.com
