Mobile Technology

Mobile-Enhanced Peer Support for African Americans with T2D

J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Jul 22. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06011-w. [Pubmed Abstract]

Caroline Presley, April Agne, Tanya Shelton, Robert Oster, Andrea Cherrington

Background
Peer support has been shown to improve diabetes self-management and control, but no standard exists to link peer support interventions to clinical care.

Objective
To compare a community-based diabetes self-management education (DSME) plus mobile health (mHealth)-enhanced peer support intervention to community-based diabetes self-management education (DSME) alone for African American adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

Design
A randomized controlled trial.

Participants
African American adults, age > 19 years, receiving care within a safety-net healthcare system in Jefferson County, Alabama, with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and a hemoglobin A1c (A1C) ≥ 7.5%.

Interventions
Participants in the intervention group received community-based diabetes self-management education (DSME)…

Combining the High Tech with the Soft Touch

Popul Health Manag. 2016 Jun 6. [Pubmed Abstract]

Combining the High Tech with the Soft Touch: Population Health Management Using eHealth and Peer Support
Kowitt SD, Tang PY, Peeples M, Duni J, Peskin S, Fisher EB

Abstract
Integration of diverse approaches may offer paths to meeting population health challenges such as how to provide ongoing diabetes self management support. With the engagement of peer support and the reach of eHealth (and the effectiveness and feasibility of both approaches), we therefore discuss how the “high-tech” of eHealth could be integrated with the “soft-touch” of peer support to manage the health of populations. Our model integrates eHealth with lay health coaching for people living with Type 2 diabetes receiving care from a primary care clinic. Formative research with patients, providers, and staff raised several potential challenges for the program, including how to best engage patients, training and qualifications of the health coaches, and…

Naturally Occurring Peer Support through Social Media

PLoS One. 2014 Oct 15;9(10):e110171. [Pubmed Abstract]

Naturally Occurring Peer Support through Social Media: The Experiences of Individuals with Severe Mental Illness Using YouTube
Naslund JA, Grande SW, Aschbrenner KA, Elwyn G

Abstract
Increasingly, people with diverse health conditions turn to social media to share their illness experiences or seek advice from others with similar health concerns. This unstructured medium may represent a platform on which individuals with severe mental illness naturally provide and receive peer support. Peer support includes a system of mutual giving and receiving where individuals with severe mental illness can offer hope, companionship, and encouragement to others facing similar challenges. In this study we explore the phenomenon of individuals with severe mental illness uploading videos to YouTube, and posting and responding to comments as a form of naturally occurring peer support. We also consider the potential risks and benefits of…