Living Well with Diabetes: Rethinking Digital Diabetes Management Systems

Digital diabetes management (DDM) traditionally emphasizes the monitoring of physical conditions (e.g., blood glucose, HbA1c) of people with diabetes (PwD) and often neglects the promotion of positive feelings towards diabetes to improve wellbeing. A first interview study (N=10) showed that PwD feel well in their daily diabetes management when their DDM systems are unobtrusive and flexible (autonomy), support them to attain skills to control their condition (competence), and provide a “safety net” to prevent harmful conditions (security). Based on this, we designed 10 DDM concepts to foster autonomy, competence and security and discussed them with PwD (N=10) in a second study. Participants perceived the concepts as patient-centered and reflective of their everyday experience with diabetes. PwD appreciate DDMs that help them regain control over their lives, balancing the prevention of harmful situations with avoiding overly prescriptive medical advice.