Abstract
Background: My Dose Coach™ (MDC), a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved digital app, helps people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) adjust their basal insulin (BI) doses based on their individualized titration plans prescribed by their healthcare professionals (HCPs).
Purpose: The present analysis aimed to assess the real-world experience of the frequency of MDC app usage on relevant clinical outcomes in T2DM in Colombia.
Methodology: This retrospective observational cohort analysis included BI treated people with T2DM from Colombia who were registered for MDC by their HCPs (August 01, 2018 to March 31, 2022). The analysis included MDC users who had an activated care plan and recorded ?2 fasting blood glucose (FBG) measurements over a 2-week period. Users were stratified into high (>3 days/week) and moderate-to-low (?3 days/week) usage subgroups. Study outcomes included percentage of users achieving fasting blood glucose (FBG) target, time to FBG target, change in FBG, and hypoglycemia incidence.
Results: Of the 594 active users, 481 (80.9%) and 113 (19.0%) were in high and moderate-to-low app-usage subgroups, respectively. Overall, 477 (80.3%) users achieved individualized FBG target and mean time to reach target was 9.9 days. High MDC app users displayed significantly better FBG target achievement and shorter time to FBG target than moderate-to-low users (p<0.01). Frequent use of MDC displayed significant reduction in FBG, with no significant increase in hypoglycemia events compared to moderate-to-low users. The mean number of days to the first self-reported event of hypoglycemia was longer in the high users compared to moderate-to-low users (p<0.01).
Conclusions: Current findings show that self-titration digital tools such as MDC app displayed improved glycemic outcomes and low risk of hypoglycemia in people with T2DM from Colombia, particularly among higher frequency MDC usage.
References
Mehta R, Pichel D, Chen-Ku CH, Raffaele P, Méndez Durán A, Padilla F, et al. Latin American expert consensus for comprehensive management of type 2 diabetes from a metabolic-cardio-renal perspective for the primary care physician. Diabetes Ther. 2021;12(1):1-20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-020-00961-4
International Diabetes Federation (IDF). IDF Diabetes Atlas. 10.a ed. Bruselas, Bélgica: IDF; 2021. [citado 2025 nov. 06]. http://diabetesatlas.org/
Irazola V, Rubinstein A, Bazzano L, Calandrelli M, Chung-Shiuan C, Elorriaga N, et al. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in the Southern Cone of Latin America. PLoS One. 2017;12(9):e0183953. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183953
Avilés-Santa ML, Monroig-Rivera A, Soto-Soto A, Lindberg NM. Current state of diabetes mellitus prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control in Latin America: challenges and innovative solutions to improve health outcomes across the continent. Curr Diab Rep. 2020;20(11):62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-020-01341-9
Aschner P, Gagliardino JJ, Ilkova H, Lavalle F, Ramachandran A, Mbanya JC, et al. Persistent poor glycaemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes in developing countries: 12 years of real-world evidence of the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS). Diabetologia. 2020;63(4):711-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-019-05078-3
Mendivil CO, Amaya-Montoya M, Hernández-Vargas JA, Ramírez-García N, Romero-Díaz C, Pérez-Londoño A, et al. Achievement of treatment goals among adults with diabetes in Colombia, 2015-2019: results from a national registry. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2022;186:109823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2022.109823
Berard L, Bonnemaire M, Mical M, Edelman S. Insights into optimal basal insulin titration in type 2 diabetes: results of a quantitative survey. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2018;20(2):301-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.13064
Khunti K, Gomes MB, Pocock S, Shestakova MV, Pintat S, Fenici P, et al. Therapeutic inertia in the treatment of hyperglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2018;20(2):427-37. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.13088
Blasco-Blasco M, Puig-Garcia M, Piay N, Lumbreras B, Hernandez-Aguado I, Parker LA. Barriers and facilitators to successful management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(9):e0237542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237542
Chan JCN, Gagliardino JJ, Ilkova H, Lavalle F, Ramachandran A, Mbanya JC, et al. One in seven insulin-treated patients in developing countries reported poor persistence with insulin therapy: real world evidence from the cross-sectional International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS). Adv Ther. 2021;38(6):3281-98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-021-01736-4
Chun J, Strong J, Urquhart S. Insulin initiation and titration in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Spectr. 2019;32(2):104-11. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds18-0005
Mehta R, Goldenberg R, Katselnik D, Kuritzky L. Practical guidance on the initiation, titration, and switching of basal insulins: a narrative review for primary care. Ann Med. 2021;53(1):998-1009. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2021.1925148
Shrivastav M, Gibson W, Shrivastav R, Elzea K, Khambatta C, Sonawane R, et al. Type 2 diabetes management in primary care: the role of retrospective, professional continuous glucose monitoring. Diabetes Spectr. 2018;31(3):279-87. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0024
Perreault L, Vincent L, Neumiller JJ, Santos-Cavaiola T. Initiation and titration of basal insulin in primary care: barriers and practical solutions. J Am Board Fam Med. 2019;32(3):431-47. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2019.03.180162
Bode B, King A, Russell-Jones D, Billings LK. Leveraging advances in diabetes technologies in primary care: a narrative review. Ann Med. 2021;53(1):805-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2021.1931427
Daly A, Hovorka R. Technology in the management of type 2 diabetes: present status and future prospects. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2021;23(8):1722-32. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.14418
Gaviria-Mendoza A, Emura-Vélez MH, García-Ospina DA, Machado-Duque ME, Machado-Alba JE. eHealth and mHealth: Adherence to treatment in chronic diseases. Rev Fac Med. 2021;69(3):e78766. https://doi.org/10.15446/revfacmed.v69n3.78766
Garg S, Norman GJ. Impact of COVID-19 on health economics and technology of diabetes care: use cases of real-time continuous glucose monitoring to transform health care during a global pandemic. Diabetes Technol Ther. 2021;23(S1):S15-S20. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2020.0656
da Silva Negreiros FD, Leal de Araujo A, Mattos SM, Moreira TR, Feitosa Cestari VR, Sales da Silva L, et al. Digital technologies in the care of people with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2021;55:e20210295. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-220x-reeusp-2021-0295
Food and Drug Administration. My Dose Coach Food and Drug Administration approval. Estados Unidos: FDA; 2017. [citado 2023 oct. 12]. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf16/K163099.pdf
Modi KD, Jha S, Panda M, Raskar V, Mittal D, Ghosh R, et al. 138-LB: Digital-Tool-Supported Basal Insulin (BI) Titration: Real-World Effectiveness of My Dose Coach in India. Diabetes. 2019;68(supl. 1):138-LB. https://doi.org/10.2337/db19-138-LB
Unnikrishnan AG, Viswanathan V, Zhou FL, Hao L, Kamath P, Bertolini M, et al. Impact of My Dose Coach app frequency of use on clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Ther. 2022;13(5):983-93. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-022-01245-9
Viswanathan V, Unnikrishnan AG, Lubwama R, Zhou FL, Bertolini M, Botero JF, et al., editors. OP017 / #285. Effectiveness of My Dose Coach (MDC) use during Basal Insulin (BI) titration in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D): Real-World data from Algeria, Colombia, India and Mexico. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics 2022;24(S1):A-1-A-237. http://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2022.2525.abstracts
Tamez-Pérez HE, Cantú-Santos OM, Gutierrez-González D, González-Facio R, Romero-Ibarguengoitia ME. Effect of digital-tool-supported basal insulin titration algorithm in reaching glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in Mexico. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2022;16(6):1513-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/19322968211034533
Davies M, Bain S, Charpentier G, Flacke F, Goyeau H, Woloschak M, et al. A randomized controlled, treat-to-target study evaluating the efficacy and safety of insulin glargine 300 U/ml (Gla-300) administered using either device-supported or routine titration in people with type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2019;13(5):881-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932296818821706
Bajaj HS, Venn K, Ye C, Aronson R. Randomized trial of long-acting insulin glargine titration web tool (LTHome) versus enhanced usual therapy of glargine titration (INNOVATE Trial). Diabetes Technol Ther. 2016;18(10):610-5. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2016.0182
Tews D, Gouveri E, Simon J, Marck C. A smartphone-based application to assist insulin titration in patients undergoing basal insulin-supported oral antidiabetic treatment. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2023;17(4):988-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/19322968221090521
Hermanns N, Ehrmann D, Finke-Groene K, Krichbaum M, Roos T, Haak T, et al. Use of smartphone application versus written titration charts for basal insulin titration in adults with type 2 diabetes and suboptimal glycaemic control (My Dose Coach): multicentre, open-label, parallel, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Regional Health. 2023;33:100702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100702

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Revista Colombiana de Endocrinología, Diabetes & Metabolismo

