Question 1-  Designing_and_evaluating_a_web 

Question 2- Abstract:

Background: Given that patients provide the majority of their own diabetes care, patient self-management training has increasingly become recognized as an important strategy with which to improve quality of care. However, participation in self-management programs is low. In addition, the efficacy of current behavioral interventions wanes over time, reducing the impact of self-management interventions on patient health. Web-based interventions have the potential to bridge the gaps in diabetes care and self-management.

Methods: Our objective is to improve self-efficacy, quality of life, self-care, blood pressure, cholesterol and glycemic control and promote exercise in people with type 2 diabetes through the rigorous development and use of a web-based patient self-management intervention. This study consists of five phases: (1) intervention development; (2) feasibility testing; (3) usability testing; (4) intervention refinement; and (5) intervention evaluation using mixed methods. We will employ evidence-based strategies and tools, using a theoretical framework of self-efficacy, then elicit user feedback through focus groups and individual user testing sessions. Using iterative redesign, the intervention will be refined. Once finalized, the impact of the website on patient self-efficacy, quality of life, self-care, HbA1c, LDL-cholesterol, blood pressure and weight will be assessed through a non-randomized observational cohort study using repeated measures modeling and individual interviews.

Discussion: Increasing use of the World Wide Web by consumers for health information and ongoing revolutions in social media are strong indicators that users are primed to welcome a new era of technology in health care. However, their full potential is hindered by limited knowledge regarding their effectiveness, poor usability, and high attrition rates. Our development and research agenda aims to address these limitations by improving usability, identifying characteristics associated with website use and attrition, and developing strategies to sustain patient use in order to maximize clinical outcomes.

Question 3- This study can be described as non-experimental because of the lack of manipulation of patient symptoms and more of an observation of research. The scientist’s goal of the study was to observe the patients progress and provide intervention through a web-based system. It is non-experimental because the study is observer relative and lacks an introduction of a specific variable to change outcomes.

 Question 4- The research found in this study was qualitative because they used the methodology of data analysis by comparing, discussing and monitoring the collection of data.

Question 5- The article describes the population that was used for this study to be people with Type 2 diabetes.

 Question 6- The sample of this study was Type 2 diabetic participants whose age was greater than 25 and will be placed into 3 different groups based on a variety of socio-demographic traits.

 Question 7- The method of measurement used in this study is based on the method of data that was collected and this study used qualitative data collection. The different types of data that was collected in this study was audiotapes of each patient’s session intervention as well as the field notes taken by each patient. Then during the phase, the doctors collect various types of lab work from the patients ranging from weight to blood work.

 Question 8- The method of analysis for this study was split into two different groups. First the audio tapes collected were transcribed verbatim and the notes were recorded and filed in each patients’ records. Second the lab work done on the participants in the last phase was analyzed by creating graphical models that helped compare the outcomes of each participant.

 Question 9- The conclusion of this study was that web-based interventions to help improve self-management of diabetes was mostly successful because it targets patients’ behaviors directly and this type of intervention shows great promise and could be used everywhere in the future.

 Question 10- This study was useful to me because the goal of the experiment was to determine if using web applications in a medical experiment will be beneficial and as someone who major is web application development this study showed me that my field of study has a wide range of use.

 Question 11- The next logical step in possibly extending this study would be allowing the patient to potentially take their own lab work and be able to upload it into a system without having to go and have someone take it.