Effect of Android-based Mobile Diabetic Foot Early Self-assessment on Diabetic Foot Prevention Behaviors of Indonesian Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease with many complications. The most common complication is diabetic foot. Objective: This study aimed to study the effect of Android-based mobile diabetic foot early self-assessment (M-DFEET) on diabetic foot prevention behaviors of Indonesian patients with type 2 DM. Materials and Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design that was conducted on 60 Indonesian patients with type 2 DM (30 in intervention group and 30 in control group) who met the inclusion criteria and were purposively selected from August to October 2021. The intervention group used the M-DFEET application, while the control groups did not use the application. Diabetic foot prevention behaviors were measured before using application and three months after using application. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and independent t-test. Results: Most of the participants aged 55 years and most of them had DM for less than five years. After education, all participants in the intervention group (100%) were able to appropriately fill in the forms and use the application; however, only 10 (33.3%) participants had the ability to properly log in; which was probably due to an unstable internet connection. The result of paired t-test showed a significant difference in diabetic foot prevention behaviors before and after the M-DFEET use in the intervention group (P=0.016). Moreover, a significant difference in diabetic foot prevention behaviors was found between the intervention and control groups (P=0.02). Conclusion: The M-DFEET application can significantly improve diabetic foot prevention behaviors of Indonesian patients with type 2 DM. In the future, the M-DFEET can be tested on more patients and be used in other populations.