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Background: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) can improve outcomes for people with diabetes. Providing health interventions via digital modes of delivery can extend the reach of programs delivered by traditional means. MyDESMOND is a digital diabetes education and support program for people with type 2 diabetes. The program was originally developed in the United Kingdom, is evidence based, grounded in behavioural theories, and designed through a rigorous process of intervention mapping. As such, MyDESMOND was considered an ideal candidate for adaptation to the Australian setting. Program content and the digital platform were modified to suit the local context to increase the likelihood that the revised version of MyDESMOND will deliver similar outcomes as the original program.
Objective: The aim of this article is to describe the systematic processes undertaken to adapt the digital MyDESMOND diabetes education and support program for people with type 2 diabetes to the Australian setting.
Methods: The adaptation involved a multidisciplinary group with a diverse range of skills and expertise: a governance structure was established, a skilled project team appointed, and stakeholder engagement was strategically planned. The adaptation of program content included modifications to the clinical recommendations, inclusion of local resources, practical changes, and revisions to optimise readability. A two-stage independent review of the modified content was enacted. Digital adaptations were informed by relevant standards, local legislative requirements, and considerations for data sovereignty. The digital platform was extensively tested prior to deployment to the production setting.
Conclusions: MyDESMOND is the first evidence based digital diabetes education and support program for Australians with type 2 diabetes. This article provides a road map for the adaptation of digital health interventions to new contexts.