Whatsapp chatbot serving to diabetes sufferers

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Health experts from the University of Stellenbosch (SU) have launched a WhatsApp-based chatbot to help patients with diabetes effectively manage risks associated with diabetes and Covid-19 from the comfort of their own home.

The chatbot GREAT4Diabetes is a free service that sends automated messages containing educational information to help people with diabetes avoid Covid-19 infection and manage their diabetes themselves, the university says.

“During the pandemic, people with diabetes will not attend support groups or clinics as they did before and receive no information or support in self-care.

“We were looking for alternative ways to help people better manage their diabetes while staying safe. The chatbot should do this, ”says the SU Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Family Medicine and researcher in the primary care department, Dr Darcelle Schouw.

Schouw is a lead developer on the GREAT4Diabetes project, a joint venture between FMHS, the Western Cape Health Department, Metro Health Services and digital health design company Aviro.

“This is a solution for a resource-poor environment. We know that cellular coverage is good in poorer communities and people can generally afford to pay for small amounts of data. These messages are sent in small audio files with minimal amounts of data. It’s a viable solution to help self-manage diabetes, ”she explains.

There are 16 evidence-based audio messages that provide guidance to type 2 diabetics on avoiding Covid-19 infection, eating healthy habits, controlling blood sugar levels, and more. All messages are between three and four minutes long and available in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

The service is activated by sending the message “Hello” to a specified WhatsApp number, which then guides the participants through the registration process. You will then automatically receive an audio message every day for 16 days.

If the project is successful, Schouw anticipates that this type of WhatsApp chatbot could be expanded for use in treating other chronic diseases, not just in the Western Cape but in the rest of South Africa.