Can e-learning help people manage their type 2 diabetes

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Assessment of the efficacy of a diabetes e-Learning package to change patient lifestyle behaviour and improve self-care knowledge and activities

  • IRAS ID

    195935

  • Contact name

    Jason Harding

  • Contact email

    st20051864@outlook.cardiffmet.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Cardiff Met University

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 2 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    The study will examine if the diabetes e-Learning package, 'Type 2 Diabetes and Me' can help people manage their diabetes more effectively. Research has shown that many people living with the condition struggle to control it properly and with poor control, people can experience life threatening complications.

    Providing education in groups to people with diabetes is expensive and uptake is poor. Little research has been conducted to date to assess how well e-learning programs can help people living with long term conditions or how well people can respond to the behaviour change advice that the programs deliver.

    The study will last approximately 10 weeks and it will involve 24 patients with type 2 diabetes from a single GP surgery in Wales. Participants will have their blood glucose and BMI recorded at the start and the end of the trial. Some of the participants will be asked to use the e-learning program for one month while the remaining participants will receive usual care from their local healthcare team.

    Recordings of blood glucose and BMI taken at the start and end of trial will be assessed to see if there has been an improvement in these clinical readings.

    As well as these clinical tests, all participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire at the start and the end of the research which measures their health behaviour relating to their diabetes management. Participants in the research who use the e-learning program will also be asked to complete a questionnaire that explores their views on how easy it was to use the website/e-learning program and they will be asked if the lead researcher could speak with them by phone to ask further questions based on the questions in the health behaviour and website usability questionnaires.

  • REC name

    North West - Haydock Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    16/NW/0802

  • Date of REC Opinion

    30 Dec 2016

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion