Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare > Volume 15, Number 3 > Pp. 150-152

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PAPERS

Pilot study of a virtual diabetes clinic: satisfaction and usability

John Powell , Amy Jennings, Natalie Armstrong, Jackie Sturt and Jeremy Dale

Health Sciences Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

Correspondence: John Powell, Health Sciences Research Institute, Warwick Medical School, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK (Fax: +44 247 652 8375; Email: John.Powell{at}warwick.ac.uk)

We developed a virtual clinic to assist patients who use insulin pumps in the management of their diabetes. The virtual clinic offered access to information, communication with health professionals and interaction with peers. Seventeen patients were recruited from three hospital clinics. Participants completed questionnaires before and after using the clinic for a six-month period. Usage was initially high but then declined. In the first two months 1691 page-views were recorded, but in the final two months only 355 page-views were registered. Users found participation reassuring. They rated peer interaction as the most desirable and the most useful of the features available. Using an Internet-based clinic to support the self-management of diabetes is feasible and acceptable to patients.

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