Criteria for Assessing and Recommending Digital Diabetes Tools: A Delphi Study

Abstract

Diabetes self-management, an integral part of diabetes care, can be improved with the help of digital self-management tools such as apps, sensors, websites, and social media. The study objective was to reach a consensus on the criteria required to assess and recommend digital diabetes self-management tools targeting those with diabetes in Norway. Healthcare professionals working with diabetes care from all health regions in Norway were recruited to participate in a three-round Delphi study. In all rounds, the panellists rated criteria identified in a systematic review and interviews on a scale from 0-10, with the option to provide comments. On a scale of 0:not important to 10:extremely important, the highest rated criteria for assessing and recommending digital diabetes self-management tools were “Usability” and “Information quality”, respectively. For assessing apps, “Security and privacy” was one of the lowest rated criteria. Having access to a list of criteria for assessing and recommending digital self-management tools can help diabetes care stakeholders to make informed choices in recommending and choosing suitable apps, websites, and social media for self-management. Future work on quality assessment of digital health tools should place emphasis on security and privacy compliance, to enable diabetes care stakeholders focus on other relevant criteria to recommend or choose and use such tools.