Diabetes Footcare Companion App for Patients and Carers

Nanyang Technological University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Ulcer, Leg; Diabetic Foot; Diabetic Foot Infection; Diabetes Mellitus Foot Ulcer; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Ulcer Foot

Treatments: Other: Conversational Agent/Chatbot App

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05564728

NanyangTU_WellFeet

Details and patient eligibility

About

Diabetes education and self-management support can be delivered via mobile phones. This protocol aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of Well Feet, a conversational agent, as a diabetic foot care companion. By utilizing feedback and responses to evaluative questions posted on the app's interface, the investigators intend to examine the app's technical, functional, and operational feasibility.

Full description

Diabetes puts patients with diabetes at risk of foot complications. Besides well managed diabetes, providing diabetes foot care education and self-management support is key to reducing the risk of developing diabetic foot ulcers, a serious and costly complication of diabetes. Although, education and self-management support for people with diabetes can improve patients' quality of life, they are still commonly not provided or inadequate. Digital technologies have the potential to offer a new convenient, interactive, and engaging mode of self-management education and support.

This study aims to examine the feasibility of the Well Feet app for diabetes foot care education and self-management support in promoting optimal foot care behaviour. In recognizing that many people with diabetes, especially the elderly, require the support of informal carers, the app also targets their knowledge and support needs.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria for patients:

1. Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and attending Tan Tock Seng Hospital Diabetes Clinic
2. Aged 21 years or above
3. Able to speak and read English
4. Own a smartphone or tablet
5. Can download the app
6. Have internet access
7. Able to give informed consent
8. Singapore nationality or permanent residents

Inclusion criteria for carers:

1. Provide care for a type 2 diabetes patient for the past 6 months
2. Aged 21 years or above
3. Able to speak and read English
4. Own a smartphone or tablet
5. Can download the app
6. Have internet access
7. Able to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria for patients and carers:

1. Pregnant
2. Inpatient
3. Received formal training in medicine or allied health services

Trial design

40 participants in 1 patient group

Intervention

Description:

All participants will receive a conversational agent app, Well Feet, to support them in learning foot care self-management.

Treatment:

Other: Conversational Agent/Chatbot App