ArticlePloS one2024
Effects of an instructional WhatsApp group on self-care and HbA1c among female patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Using Group Chats to Drive Behavior Change in Digital Health Interventions: Scoping Review and Realist Synthesis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- How are instant messaging applications used informally for paediatric health consultations in Pakistan? A qualitative study with caregivers and healthcare providers in Punjab.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- The effect of digital health intervention in promoting healthy behavior: A systematic scoping review on strategies to prevent non-communicable diseases.Dialogues in health · 2025Review
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
AIMS AND
objectivesTo assess the effect of an instructional WhatsApp group on self-care and HbA1c levels among female patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
backgroundT2DM is a chronic disease that requires effective self-care. WhatsApp is a free application that can be effectively used for patient education.
designThis study used a quasi-experimental design.
methodsA convenience sample of 62 female participants was recruited from the medical outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital. The Diabetes Self-Care Scale was used to assess the self-care profiles of the participants pre- and post-intervention. HbA1c samples were also collected at baseline and three months after receiving instructions from the WhatsApp group. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected during the pre-intervention stage.
resultsThe mean HbA1c level decreased from 8.61 ± 1.70 to 7.92 ± 1.60 after implementing the WhatsApp group instructions; the values showed a significant difference (t-value = 5.107 and P-value < 0.001). The post-test mean score of total self-care was higher than the pre-test mean score (t-value = 12.359, P-value <0.001), indicating a highly significant difference.
conclusionsThe study demonstrated that the instructional WhatsApp group is an effective method for improving self-care and HbA1c levels in patients with T2DM. This study suggests the use of WhatsApp group instructions as a teaching method in the healthcare system for the education and follow-up of patients with T2DM. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings support the need to initiate effective and dynamic interventional follow-ups through WhatsApp groups for patients with T2DM to improve their self-care and HbA1c levels and ultimately reduce the burden on hospitals and governments.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.