Background and Aims

Digital health services can support patients and facilitate self-management. However, user experience/satisfaction can impact uptake/outcomes. MyDiabetesMyWay(MDMW), an online service established in NHS Scotland in 2008, has demonstrated positive impacts on clinical outcomes. MDMW was recently piloted in NHS Somerset.

Methods

Participants in Somerset completed questionnaires covering six domains (see table) at enrolment and after six months. Quantitative data were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Generalised Equation Modelling. Free-text items were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

483 participants completed questionnaires at both timepoints. Participants were: age 25-91 (mean 67.02, SD 9.80); 31.5% female; 10.6% type 1 diabetes.

Patients’ ratings of MDMW at follow-up were positive, with the majority (>60%) agreeing that the product ‘helped them to do what they wanted’, was ‘easy to use’, they ‘could get help when they needed it’, and they were ‘satisfied with the product’. Only low numbers (<4%) disagreed with these statements.

Some respondents reported that MDMW aided self-management, citing easy access to information/increased autonomy. Whilst one aspect of health confidence (‘I know enough about my health’) significantly improved at follow-up compared with baseline, several other scores declined. Combined domain scores echoed these patterns. Declining scores might reflect deteriorating health trajectories, and/or issues described in free text responses, including problems with logging in and incomplete/out of date clinical results, perhaps due to this being the inaugural launch in NHS England.

Conclusions

Digital health services can potentially supplement existing services. Usability/access issues and poor data quality can impact patient use/satisfaction. Improvements in these areas would enhance patient uptake and experience.