MoPAD: Mobile Planning and Assessment for Diabetes

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal focuses on research to establish the feasibility of developing MoPAD, a Mobile Planning and Assessment device for Diabetics that is a hand-held (but platform independent) patient-centric tool for management of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). MoPAD combines glucometry results with other behavioral data to provide personalized delivery of DM management information that is actionable, i.e., focused on how what actions the patient should/should not take in the current context. These personalized and behaviorally focused characteristics move MoPAD a generation beyond current devices which provide only 'electronic diary' data-logging and data analysis without linkage to behavioral implications. More importantly, research suggests that these features will increase the patient's ability to understand and utilize the information in their own DM management. Phase I research is designed to address two research challenges to establishing MoPADs. The first challenge is designing a MoPAD interface and interaction scheme that will be usable, earnable, adaptable, and provide actionable information to the patient. Cognitive engineering methods developed at the investigator's organization will be used to identify requirements and translate them into an interface design. The second challenge is developing the MoPAD in a device-independent manner to compensate for the great fragmentation and rapid evolution in the hand-held device market. Reuse of cross-platform user interface technology developed by the applicant organization for other telemedicine applications will be explored as an approach to this problem. The engineering issues of MoPAD development will also be address in an engineering and architectural analysis.