Texting Lowers Insulin Levels

Adolescents with diabetes are more likely to follow treatment plans and register improved blood-glucose levels when they receive weekly text message reminders, a new pilot study finds.

Dr. Jennifer Dyer, an endocrinologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, "sent personalized questions and reminders specific to diabetes adherence activities in addition to friendly, supportive messages to her patients," according to a statement by the hospital. Patients who received the text messages did better at managing the disease.

Teens stray from medication regimens four times as frequently as adults. In a given week, many teens with diabetes miss the majority of the insulin treatments they need to keep the disease in check, said Dr. Dyer in a YouTube video posted by the hospital.

"If adolescent diabetes patients do not adhere to their treatment and medication plan, it can result in difficulty concentrating in school or functioning throughout the day," said Dr. Dyer, who is also an assistant professor of Pediatrics at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Excellent control and treatment can have a long term positive effect on a patient with diabetes."

Dyer's simple intervention exists at the intersection of ingrained teen behavior and excess IT capacity.

A 2010 report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that half of all teens send at least 50 text messages daily, and a third send more than 3,000 texts per month, reports Healthcare IT News. In addition, 75 percent of teen cell phone users have plans with unlimited texting.

"This form of communication allows for real-time health management which is extremely valuable for patients [who] suffer from a chronic illness like diabetes," said Dr. Dyer.

Buoyed by the pilot program's encouraging results, Dr. Dyer has developed, yes, an iPhone app that allows endocrinologists "to send personalized, yet automate texts to multiple patients at a specific time."