Text-Based Reminders: Pathways To Improve Hemoglobin A1C and Fasting Blood Glucose Levels of People with T2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background Research studies have shown that self-monitoring blood glucose levels is a cornerstone in DM management. Various studies have shown that a text message intervention effectively reminds people with T2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) to check their blood glucose levels at home. Text message reminders successfully encourage medication adherence, blood glucose self-monitoring, and lifestyle changes (Xiqian et al., 2019). Through the beneficial effects on HgbA1c and blood glucose, text-based reminders have been demonstrated to improve blood glucose self-monitoring, essential to managing diabetes. Purpose This project aims to evaluate the effects of the 12-week text-based reminder intervention on the patient's blood sugar and HBA1C levels, and the frequency of glucose checks with text-based reminders compared to usual practice. Methods Standard data extraction and literature search were performed in PubMed, Medline, and EMBASE databases. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was conducted. This prospective study used a pre/posttest design from a convenience sample. Participants with a HbA1c of 7% and over and FBG of 126 mg/dL or over were monitored for 12 weeks with text-based reminders. Participants were place in experimental and control groups. The experimental group received four text messages weekly reminding them to check pre-prandial glucose levels. Control group received the standard of care which did not include any text reminders. Results The total sample size was 107 subjects (experimental group 54 subjects and control group 53 subjects). For the experimental group, there was a positive mean difference for the blood group and HBA1C post-intervention, which was highly significant (P-value=<0.0001). The 12-week intervention improved blood glucose measurement at home with a median of 24 times (experimental group) vs six times (control), which was highly significant (P-value=<0.0001). Conclusion The outcome of this project has shown that text-based reminders improved home blood glucose monitoring ...