Introduction and Objective: Despite the widespread digitalization of diabetes care, significant disparities remain in individuals’ skills and confidence using digital health tools. We consulted with patients and clinicians to develop a program, called ADDS (Assistance with Diabetes Digital health Skills), to improve the digital health literacy of adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and explored its preliminary effects in a pilot study.Methods: We recruited adults with T2D and limited digital literacy to experience the ADDS Program. ADDS consists of three weekly sessions where a facilitator meets with participants 1-on-1 to provide training on using digital tools for diabetes. Topics include finding reliable diabetes content online, navigating the patient portal, and technology troubleshooting strategies. Participants completed a baseline survey and follow-up survey 2 months post-ADDS. We extracted EHR data to examine patient portal usage and used validated scales to assess digital health literacy (Digital Health care Literacy Scale [DHLS]) and diabetes self-efficacy (Perceived Diabetes Self-Management Scale [PDSMS]). We used Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests to examine change in scores.Results: Participants (N=17) were, on average 66.0±7.2 years old, 67% female, and 60% African American; average HbA1c (%) was 8.7±2.3. While most (76%) participants did not have a patient portal account prior to ADDS, nearly all (94%) created one during training and continued to use it (84%) during the 2 months following program completion (median logins [Q1, Q3] = 5.5, [1.8, 38.0]). DHLS scores (z = -3.22, p = .001) and PDSMS scores (z = -2.48, p = .01) increased significantly from before to 2 months post ADDS.Conclusion: The ADDS Program improved digital health literacy and diabetes self-efficacy in a pilot study, supporting its potential to reduce disparities in digital tool use. Next steps involve evaluation in a trial. Our goal is to promote equitable adoption of diabetes digital tools, ensuring all can benefit.
L. Nelson: None. S. Haji: None. L. LeStourgeon: None. W. Martinez: None. S.T. Rosenbloom: None. L.S. Mayberry: None.
National Institutes of Health (P30DK020593)
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