Diabetics get reminders via cell phone

Don’t 4get 2 inject!
Keewaytinook Okimakanak-K-Net’s DiabeTEXTS project has been sending diabetes education messages reminding diabetes patients to inject their insulin since beginning operations last month in five KO communities.
The pilot project is working in Fort Severn, Deer Lake, Keewaywin, North Spirit Lake and Poplar Hill.
“We’re trying to give all the diabetes workers in the KO communities cell phones so they can send educational texts to their patients,” said Michael Mak, the McMaster University global health student who developed the DiabeTEXTS project during his recent three-month placement at KO-K-Net. “So, for example, (we’re sending) information about what kind of food or the amount of exercise they should have per day. They (community diabetes workers) can also answer patient questions through texting.”
Mak said the specific messages being sent out depend on the community diabetes worker and the needs of the community.
“They are the ones who know their community best,” Mak said. “For example, if you need to take insulin for type 1 diabetes or later stages of type 2 diabetes, you can get text messages reminding them to inject at a certain particular time of day.”
The community diabetes workers can also text messages about community events that would be beneficial for their patients, such as events that focus on exercise or walking around the community.
“Hopefully more people will come out to the events to learn,” Mak said.
Eventually, as more community members become involved in the project, Mak expects them to begin sending DiabeTEXTS to the community diabetes worker as well.
“Other people are involved, like the health directors in each of the communities,” Mak said. “Eventually it’s all the community members because if they are the ones sending texts to the community diabetes worker, then more information hopefully can get circulated around.”
Brian Beaton, K-Net’s coordinator, said the DiabeTEXTS mobile health initiative is a great opportunity to demonstrate the effective use of the new cellular phone service.
“With the tools being used in this project, other applications can be developed and supported by community members,” Beaton said.
The DiabeTEXTS project involves the use of a computer program that distributes cellular SMS text messages through the community diabetes worker’s cell phone to many patients at once rather than just one at a time. Messages are sent according to a schedule, including a weekly reminder of the goal set in clinic and a daily message providing tips, information or reminders to reinforce the goal.
“If they have a question, they can just text their community diabetes worker or call them,” Mak said.
Mak is looking for the project to increase the patient’s awareness of their condition as well as promoting a greater involvement in their treatment activities.
“I’m hoping this (project) can get the word out about diabetes because it’s really hard to prevent complications later unless you do have a healthy lifestyle such as eating the right amounts of food,” Mak said. “Hopefully we will be able to see more awareness around that.”
Mak is also interested in extending the project to other communities once they have cell phone service installed.
“Hopefully we will be able to continue expanding this to other communities,” Mak said, noting there other communities that also use cell phones besides the KO communities. “We are trying to get them involved as well, but again, the project is relatively new.”