Narrative Review of Digital Health Interventions for Diabetes

Maina Mwaura F.

School of Natural and Applied Sciences Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

Diabetes mellitus represents a major global public health challenge, with rising prevalence, substantial morbidity, and escalating health system costs. Digital health interventions (DHIs) have emerged as promising tools to support diabetes prevention, self-management, and long-term care through the use of telemedicine, mobile health applications, digital therapeutics, wearable devices, remote monitoring, and decision-support systems. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the scope, classification, and effectiveness of digital health interventions for diabetes management. It examines conceptual frameworks underpinning DHIs, key intervention modalities, and their impact on clinical outcomes such as glycemic control, hypoglycemia reduction, cardiometabolic risk, body weight, and patient-reported outcomes. The review further examines implementation considerations, including health system integration, reimbursement models, equity, digital literacy, data privacy, and interoperability. Overall, the evidence suggests that digital health interventions can improve glycemic outcomes, enhance patient engagement, and support lifestyle modification, particularly when interventions are multifaceted and integrated into routine care. However, heterogeneity in intervention design, methodological limitations, and inequities in access remain significant challenges. Future research should focus on long-term effectiveness, implementation in underserved populations, and the development of scalable, interoperable, and patient-centered digital solutions to strengthen diabetes care across diverse settings.

Keywords: Digital health interventions, Diabetes mellitus, Mobile health (mHealth), Telemedicine and Diabetes self-management

CITE AS: Maina Mwaura F. (2026). Narrative Review of Digital Health Interventions for Diabetes. IDOSR JOURNAL OF APPLIED SCIENCES 11(1):66-73. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAS/2026/1116673