Perceptions of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals on marketed mobile applications used for self-management by type 2 diabetic patients: A systematic review

Purpose: To determine the level of awareness, beliefs and experience of healthcare professionals (HCPs) regarding mobile applications for self-management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: This review was done by searching the literature using three databases viz: PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Assessment of quality of studies was carried out using the scale of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The results were presented in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Results: The search strategy identified 725 unique research papers, 4 of which were included. A survey among pharmacists showed that 56 % of participants were aware of the existence of mobile health applications, and that 60 % of those who were aware recommended their use. In the multi-HCPs setting, depending on the study, apps recommendation rate varied from 45.5 to 62 %. Most of the participants (88 %) agreed that a mobile app would help strengthen their treatment recommendations to the patients (88 %), and 84 % also agreed that it would help patients manage diabetes better. Conclusion: Not much research has been done on this topic. Available data suggest that the awareness of HCPs regarding mobile applications is unsatisfactory, and that those familiar with these apps find them useful and are ready to recommend them to patients. There is need for further research and measures to increase awareness and knowledge of HCPs about available mobile applications, in order to ensure adequate support to patients with diabetes.