Collaborative management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in informal settings in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria using technology

前言2型糖尿病(T2 DM)是尼日利亚最常见的疾病之一，与其他慢性疾病一样，需要在非正式环境下进行长期护理。几位研究人员已经确定了在T2 DM等慢性疾病中需要协作医疗保健，因为它提供了太多的好处。然而，技术在促进这一进程方面的重要性怎么强调都不为过。人们已经探索了很多技术选择，比如创建移动应用程序或利用人工智能，然而，考虑到非西方背景下的人的生活体验的选择仍然有限。在文献中观察到的差距和现有的干预措施有助于实现这项研究的目标，这项研究的中心是在尼日利亚的背景下了解社区药剂师、2型糖尿病患者和照顾者之间的关系，以及这种关系如何有助于共同创造和采用技术以改善卫生成果。其他目标包括在此背景下了解使用技术的协作护理，并确定该人口的技术需求。阶段2：本阶段的目标是共同设计/创建原型或相关人工制品。阶段3：本阶段将侧重于在野外评估人工制品。计划第1阶段的目的是使用定性和定量研究方法实现研究的主要目标。数据收集数据收集将在尼日利亚河流州的港口-哈科特市分两个阶段进行。访谈和问卷调查的问题将设计为实现研究目标。在第一阶段，将通过WhatsApp进行访谈，目的是收集不同形式的数据。目的是确定他们要么使用了某种技术，要么希望自己拥有某种技术的场景。还将与几名参与者进行面谈，这些参与者可能希望通过身体交流，或通过电话或在线电话进行交流。第二阶段涉及分发调查问卷，这些问卷本应经过预先筛选和验证。问卷将分发给尽可能多的T2 DM患者，但目标是获得至少59份回复，这是基线样本量。数据分析第一阶段的定性数据将使用反身性主题分析方法进行分析，而定量数据将使用描述性统计和聚类分析进行分析。这些结果将被用来创建一份报告和一张路线图，通过它可以设计出人工制品。预期的贡献这一阶段的研究有多种可能的贡献，它们可以产生可行的研究论文，其中可能包括：1.评估WhatsApp作为定性研究中数据收集的工具(可能的方法学贡献)2.了解WhatsApp在非正式环境下T2 DM的协作医疗管理中的使用3.描述相关利益攸关方如何在尼日利亚哈科特港的低资源环境中采用技术2第一阶段的主题将作为共同创造人工制品和/或创建框架或管理文件的指导方针。第三阶段最后阶段将涉及部署技术工具并在野外评估其表现。

IntroductionType 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most prevalent diseases in Nigeria, and like other chronic diseases would require long-term care in informal contexts. The need for collaborative healthcare in chronic diseases like T2DM has been established by several researchers as it offers a plethora of benefits. However, the importance of technology in facilitating this process cannot be overemphasized. A lot of tech options have been explored such as the creation of mobile apps or the utilization of AI, however, there are still limited options available that consider the lived experiences of persons in non-Western contexts. The gaps observed in literature and available interventions, have contributed to the objectives of this study, which is centred on understanding the relationship between community pharmacists, persons living with T2DM and caregivers, within the Nigerian context and how this relationship could contribute to tech co-creation and tech-adoption for the improvement of health outcomes.ObjectivesPHASE 1: The objectives of this phase are to investigate the role of community pharmacists in promoting self-care using technology, to explore the types of technologies available and how they are being used. Other objectives include understanding collaborative care using technology within this context and identifying tech needs for this demographic.PHASE 2: The objective of this phase is to focus on the co-design/creation of a prototype or relevant artefact.PHASE 3: This phase would be focused on evaluating the artefact in the wild.PLAN FOR PHASE 1The purpose of this phase is to achieve the major objectives of the study using qualitative and quantitative research methods.Data collectionData collection would be conducted in two stages at the city of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State in Nigeria. The questions for the interviews and questionnaires would be designed to achieve the research objectives. In the first stage, interviews would be conducted via WhatsApp, with the intention of collecting different forms of data. The aim is to identify scenarios in which they either used some sort of technology or they wish they had some sort of technology. Interviews would also be conducted with several participants who may want to communicate physically, or via telephone calls or online calls. The second stage involves the dissemination of questionnaires which would have been prescreened and validated. The questionnaires would be distributed to as many persons living with T2DM, but with the aim of getting at least 59 responses which is the baseline sample size. The target group would be assessed in informal locations, and all ethical guidelines would be considered before the administration of the questionnaires.Data analysisThe qualitative data from the first stage would be analyzed using reflexive thematic analytical methods, while quantitative data would be analyzed using descriptive statistics and cluster analysis. The results would be used to create a report and a journey map, through which an artefact can be designed.Expected contributionsThere are multiple possible contributions from this phase of the study and they could generate viable research papers which could include:1. An assessment of WhatsApp as a tool for data collection in qualitative research (Possible methodological contribution)2. An understanding of the use of WhatsApp in the collaborative healthcare management of T2DM in informal settings3. Characterization of how tech is adopted by relevant stakeholders in the low resource setting of Port-Harcourt, NigeriaPHASE 2The themes from the first phase would serve as guidelines for the co-creation of an artefact, and/or the creation of frameworks or regulatory documents.PHASE 3The last phase would involve the deployment of the tech tool and evaluation of its performance in the wild.