One of the benefits the internet offers to healthcare consumers is convenient access to medical information. This is particularly useful for those living with a chronic condition such as diabetes. Among the most prevalent metabolic diseases in the world today, diabetes has proven time and again to be the root of a number of debilitating complications, which are likely to develop without adequate knowledge on proper medication, lifestyle modification, and nutrition. Through discerning use of online resources, diabetes patients can foster effective self-management among these patients.
According to a new review entitled, “Internet Delivered Diabetes Self-Management Education: A Review” by Katherine Pereira, DNP, Beth Phillips, MSN, Constance Johnson, PhD, and Allison Vorderstrasse DNSc, Duke University School of Nursing in North Carolina, self-management learned through the internet could lead to better glycemic control and learning, compared to traditional patient care and education. This is likely attributable to accessibility and the patient’s option to learn at his own pace, thereby encouraging a sense of control over the disease as opposed to being reliant on medical attention. The article is free to view in the journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT) until November 6, 2014.
The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado, Denver, Dr. Satish Garg, said that the global rise in diabetes prevalence only underscores the need for alternative, more far-reaching methods of disseminating health information and fostering self-management for diseases such as diabetes
While the internet is a limitless source of information for patients, diabetes patients also need to practice judicious browsing. As an example, past news reports posted claims on Vitamin D’s ability to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes — a claim that has gone on to be disproved by comprehensive studies by researchers in the diabetes field.
