Feasibility and Preliminary Behavioral and Clinical Efficacy of a Diabetes Education Chatbot Pilot Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Background: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) improves diabetes outcomes yet remains consistently underutilized. Chatbot technology offers the potential to increase access to and engagement in DSMES. Evidence supporting the case for chatbot uptake and efficacy in people with diabetes (PWD) is needed. Method: A diabetes education and support chatbot was deployed in a regional health care system. Adults with type 2 diabetes with an A1C of 8.0% to 8.9% and/or having recently completed a 12-week diabetes care management program were enrolled in a pilot program. Weekly chats included three elements: knowledge assessment, limited self-reporting of blood glucose data and medication taking behaviors, and education content (short videos and printable materials). A clinician facing dashboard identified need for escalation via flags based on participant responses. Data were collected to assess satisfaction, engagement, and preliminary glycemic outcomes. Results: Over 16 months, 150 PWD (majority above 50 years of age, female, and African American) were enrolled. The unenrollment rate was 5%. Most escalation flags (N = 128) were for hypoglycemia (41%), hyperglycemia (32%), and medication issues (11%). Overall satisfaction was high for chat content, length, and frequency, and 87% reported increased self-care confidence. Enrollees completing more than one chat had a mean drop in A1C of −1.04%, whereas those completing one chat or less had a mean increase in A1C of +0.09% ( P = .008). Conclusion: This diabetes education chatbot pilot demonstrated PWD acceptability, satisfaction, and engagement plus preliminary evidence of self-care confidence and A1C improvement. Further efforts are needed to validate these promising early findings.