GM Diabetes My Way: Digital interventions supporting self-care in people with type 2 diabetes across Greater Manchester. A study Protocol. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Digital diabetes management systems have the potential to deliver cost-effective self-management support. DiabetesMyWay (DMW) is a platform for an open access website that includes a variety of multimedia resources including offering patients access to their clinical data in the form of an electronic personal health record. DMW aims to improve both the outcomes and experience of people with T2D, and provide them with a single care record which can be shared with their clinicians to support consultations, clinical decision making, care planning and self-management advice. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of DMW and to explore acceptability to patients and clinicians METHODS A consensus approach to recruitment will be taken; all adults registered with type 2 diabetes, registered with a GP in the study area will be eligible. We will take a mixed methods approach to data collection analysis. RESULTS The primary outcome for effectiveness will be HbA1c value post intervention in participants and controls receiving usual care; a qualitative exploration of acceptability and a cost effectiveness evaluation. CONCLUSIONS Digital interventions have potential to transform self-management of T2D and deliver major clinical, psychological and economic benefits. This test bed project aims to assess the impact of a range of digital interventions delivered through DiabetesMyWay in an ethnically and socially diverse group of people with type two diabetes in Greater Manchester.