Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of a nurse short message service (SMS) by cellular phone and wire Internet on plasma glucose levels in people with diabetes for six months.
Background: Blood glucose management system using telemedicine approaches may maintain the appropriate blood glucose levels in type-2 diabetic patients.
Design: A control group pre-test-post-test design was used to assess the effectiveness of nurse's education.
Methods: Twenty-five patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group and 26 to a control group. The intervention was applied for six months. The goal of the intervention was to keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range. Participants were requested to input their blood glucose level, diet and exercise diary everyday in the website by cellular phone or wire Internet. The researcher sends optimal recommendations to each patient using SMS by cellular phone and wire Internet weekly.
Results: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1)c) decreased 1.15% points at three months and 1.05% points at six months compared with baseline in the intervention group. Patients in the intervention group had a decrease of two hours post meal glucose (2HPMG) of 85.1 mg/dl at three months and 63.1 mg/dl at six months compared with baseline.
Conclusion: This web-based intervention using SMS of cellular phone improved HbA(1)c and 2HPMG for six months in type-2 diabetic patients.
Relevance to clinical practice: An SMS of cellular phone intervention by a nurse can reduce HbA(1)c and 2HPMG for six months in type-2 diabetic patients.