Almost everyone has a mobile phone, which contributes to the development of new mobile medical technologies. The CHAT-DM study (Cardiovascular Health and Texting-Diabetes Mellitus) was included 502 patients with both coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus from 34 hospitals in China. The text messages were developed by a multidisciplinary team and included information about diabetes and CHD, glucose monitoring and control, blood pressure control, adherence to medication, physical activity, and lifestyle recommendations. After the follow-up period (6 month), the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1) in the group of patients receiving motivational messages significantly decreased by 0.2%, and blood glucose by 0.5 mmol/L from the baseline, compared to the control group, where patients received two thank you text messages per month. The levels of glycated hemoglobin was increased by 0.1% and blood glucose by 0.1 mmol/L in control group. But text messages to participants who already had low glycated hemoglobin levels at baseline did not further reduce HbA1c levels. The authors of the study emphasize that SMS alerts did not duplicate each other and contained real-life examples instead of abstract theories.
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