Abstract
Background: My Diabetes My Way (MDMW) is an online platform for people living with diabetes that the University of Dundee operates and manages for NHS Scotland. It has been live since 2008 and offers multimedia educational materials, video testimonials, 13 online structured learning courses and patient access to their own data. The service is accessible through a web browser or mobile app.
We aimed to report current utilisation figures and evaluate the impact MDMW has had on patient satisfaction and qualitative and quantitative outcomes.
Approach: People with diabetes are heavily involved in the design and co-production of the MDMW service, and in 2023 evaluation questionnaires were circulated to 22,665 users to gain insights on their experiences and to request suggestions for improvements. The service also operates with a Patient Advisory Group, with representation across genders, ethnicities and geographical locations in Scotland.
The MDMW Personal Health Record sources data from primary care, secondary care, specialist screening services and laboratory systems; including diagnostic information, demographics, process outcomes, screening results and medication. These data provide a more complete overview of diabetes than would be available from any single system. Patients can share home-recordings (blood pressure, weight, PROMs) and device data (blood glucose meters, activity trackers) with their healthcare teams, further enhancing communication.
At the end of 2023 user audit and activity logs were analysed to document current levels of uptake and use. These data are essential to demonstrate the effectiveness of the service and justify future funding. Health economics analysis was conducted using the UKPDS Outcomes Model v2.0.
Results: By the end of 2023, 40,004 people with diabetes had logged in to access their diabetes records. 3,606 had registered for at least one structured education course (total courses = 5,689). During 2023, an average of 19,013 people accessed 86,086 pages on the education website every month.
People living with diabetes report that MDMW improves their knowledge of diabetes and provides the information and motivation to more effectively manage it better and achieve goals. They believe that it allows them to make better use of consultation time, and they don’t need to keep paper records or phone for results. Users found data graphs helpful to monitor changes and the system helped them meet their diabetes goals.
Previous health economics analysis shows that MDMW could help save the UK NHS £118.72 per diabetes patient over ten years, leading to savings of several millions of pounds. The service is ‘dominant’ over usual care (both cost-saving and life improving) in supporting self-management. Wider use may result in significant cost savings through delay or reduction of long-term complications and increased life expectancy in Scotland.
Implications: MDMW is one of the most effective interventions currently available to support diabetes. User satisfaction remains high, and quality of life improvements have been shown. The clinical outcomes of users are positive, and cost-savings have been demonstrated. The platform has been rolled-out to regions within NHS England and we aim to make it available in other countries outside the UK.