Developing an mHealth framework to improve diabetes self-management.

The need for improved diabetes care outcomes is paramount. Each year, 1.6 million cases are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and as of 2006; diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Moreover, the financial burden associated with diabetes was estimated to be $174 billion in 2007. Studies show that effective patient-provider communication (PPC) improves diabetes self-care, diabetes outcomes, or both. There has been significant number of studies aimed at improving diabetes care through different telehealth technologies such as patient web portals. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been limited amount of research done exploring the use of mobile technologies to improve diabetes care.