A short message service by cellular phone in type 2 diabetic patients for 12 months

ObjectiveInvestigate the effectiveness of an educational intervention that used both the cellular phone with a short messaging service (SMS) and the Internet on the glycemic control of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.MethodsTwenty-five patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group and twenty-six to a control group. The intervention was applied for 12 months. The goal of the intervention was to keep blood glucose concentrations close to the normal range (HbA1c < 7%). Patients in the intervention group were asked to access a website by using a cellular phone or to wiring the Internet and input their blood glucose levels weekly. Participants were sent the optimal recommendations by both cellular phone and the Internet weekly.ResultsParticipants in the intervention group had lower HbA1c over 12 months when compared with the control group. At 12 months the change from baseline in HbA1c was −1.32 in the intervention group versus +0.81 in the control group. Two hours post-meal glucose (2HPMG) had a significantly greater decline in the intervention group after 12 months when compared with the control group (−100.0 versus +18.1 mg/dl).ConclusionThis educational intervention using the Internet and a SMS by cellular phone rapidly improved and stably maintained the glycemic control of the patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.