The Covid-19 pandemic accentuated the need for improved remote monitoring, optimized virtual engagement channels, and simplification of digital technologies.
Besides this, remote patient monitoring has become paramount from the healthcare provider’s perspective to ensure the best care while reducing the financial burden on the healthcare system.
For patients, facilitation in tracking symptoms, fast and reliable access to care, cross-platform integration, and data security are some of the essential features in demand.
Patients who have diabetes, along with other chronic patients, are the ones who will benefit the most from mobile apps to manage and control their disease.
How diabetes mobile apps will address challenges in diabetes management.
Competition in the diabetes apps landscape is fierce. Two types of service providers are emerging: Diabetes-focused apps and chronic disease management apps, which include diabetes, among other therapeutic areas (TAs).
The below features, among others, promise to facilitate diabetes management and improve diabetic patients’ QoL.
- Personalized interfaces
- Compatibility with other apps such as FitBit, Google Fit, Samsung Health, and Apple Health
- Glycaemia measurement via synchronization with blood glucose meters
- Glycaemia level reminders and report aggregator
- Bolus calculator
- Nutritional advice and education
- Connecting patients with HCPs
5 most popular diabetes mobile apps
Our team collected and analyzed data to understand the diabetes management apps landscape.
These are the five most notable apps due to the high number of downloads and ratings (on Google Play Store):
- Ada – Check your health (Ada Health GmbH) [4.7/5; 5M+ downloads]
- mySugr – Diabetes Tracker Log (mySugr GmbH) [4.8/5; 1M+ downloads]
- Diabetes: M – Blood Sugar Diary (Sirma Medical) [4.6/5; 500k+ downloads]
- Glucose tracker – Diabetic diary (mEL Studio) [4.9/5; 100k+ downloads]
- Beat Diabetes (Tipsbook) [4.8/5; 100k+ downloads]
Partnerships between pharma and app developers are becoming popular.
The Big Pharma commitment is a boon for some apps. Pharma companies have developed high expertise in diabetes management due to close, long-term interaction with patients, patient advocacy groups, and HCPs.
Ada Health partnered with Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, Bayer, Takeda, and Alnylam for different TAs. The app, mySugr, was integrated into Roche’s Diabetes Care management ecosystem in 2017.
Reasons why specific diabetes mobile apps won the race.
- The top-performing apps are certified medical devices created by Healthtech companies in collaboration with the HCP community to empower patients in managing their healthcare journey.
- Patients are becoming central stakeholders in chronic disease management, and their endorsement of treatment approaches in diabetes is increasing in value.
- The apps are supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical evidence. They are designed to increase patient engagement and adherence to the app.
- The apps are compatible with wearables, external platforms, and devices.
How will AI and diabetes mobile apps change the diabetes management landscape in the future?
AI is becoming a vital feature in eHealth. Currently, some diabetes apps allow HCPs to monitor patients remotely and contact them immediately in the case of irregular glycemic levels (common in gestational diabetes).
With AI, we can experience a decrease in the number of HCP calls to patients since a move from reactive to preventive medicine will be enabled.
We should expect AI to uncover the complexities of linking mobile apps, wearables, and treatment. AI will drive the optimization of diabetes management centered around the patient and further develop the diabetes management ecosystem.
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