{"id":32294,"date":"2013-03-30T06:57:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-30T10:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32294"},"modified":"2015-12-27T15:44:19","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T20:44:19","slug":"diabetes-apps-and-computer-programs-dont-help-really","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=32294","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes Apps and Computer Programs Don\u2019t Help, Really?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\">This morning I read an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/03\/28\/us-mixed-results-computer-support-idUSBRE92R0U720130328\">article in Reuters<\/a> about how a new report being published has found that \u201cComputer and mobile phone programs that provide tailored advice and support to people with diabetes may not do much to improve their health and quality of life\u201d. The report, based on 16 studies, found that people with diabetes who used these apps and programs did not manage there disease any better than those who did not and although \u201cSome studies hinted that the interventions increased people&#8217;s knowledge and confidence, they did not alleviate depression\u201d.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">In other words, what the report says is that all of the diabetes apps and programs being created are not helping anyone.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><a href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Diabetes-Apps-Apple-Store.jpg\" rel=\"mfp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-32295 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Diabetes-Apps-Apple-Store.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Diabetes-Apps-Apple-Store.jpg 600w, https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Diabetes-Apps-Apple-Store-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">At first this pissed me off a little, I mean, who\u2019s to say that a tool that makes life a little easier, even if not significantly improving your A1c, isn\u2019t doing anyone any good. But then I remembered my one attempt at using a diabetes app.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">It was a while ago, after <a href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/author\/karmel\/\">Karmel Allison<\/a> interviewed the creators of <a href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/feature\/a-leap-in-diabetes-management-talking-to-the-creators-of-the-logfrog-db-app\/\">LogFrog DB<\/a>, Elon Danziger and Yelena Rubinshteyn, I decided to try the app (one of many diabetes apps available to help people with diabetes manage their disease).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">I liked the app. I enjoyed the graphics and I thought the interface was easy to use. I also liked the fact that it wasn\u2019t serious, it had a fun edge to it \u2013 something I think people with diabetes need, well at least I do. The one thing I did not like about the app was that I couldn\u2019t download the data onto a spreadsheet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">But did the app help me?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">No. It didn\u2019t because I didn\u2019t really need it. I had a pump, where I recorded all of my carbs, blood sugar measurements and insulin intake. So as nice as the app was, it felt like just another extra thing to do. So quickly, once playing with the interface got old, I stopped using it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">But not everyone uses an insulin pump, and many people record their blood sugar and insulin intake on paper, especially when first diagnosed. I know I did.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">I don\u2019t think that having an app, back then, would have made me a better diabetic, as far as the doctors were concerned, but it would have certainly made life a little easier for me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">I can\u2019t argue with numbers (in the report), but I think that they don\u2019t always provide a full picture. I believe that most people who manage their diabetes well, would do so with or with out diabetes apps, programs and even community. But there are many aspects to living with diabetes an A1c does not cover.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Making life easier, convenient and fun is important too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">There\u2019s no doubt that real help, for those unable to control there own disease, will not come out of a diabetes app, but if there was no need for them people would stop creating them, buying them and using them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":32295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1501],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.9 (Yoast SEO v22.9) - 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