Projects

The Telemedicine Lifestyle Intervention Program (TeLIPro) aims to support patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus in adopting a healthy lifestyle by providing patient-centered, individualized and personalized care. In this context, the adherence of patients also needs to be strengthened to achieve a sustainable improvement in health and quality of life.

The prevalence of diabetes in Germany continues to rise. Roughly seven million adults suffer from diabetes mellitus, with about 95 percent of them being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The treatment of the disease and its secondary conditions results in high healthcare costs. Since the development and progression of type 2 diabetes in particular is driven by low physical activity and a high-calorie diet, lifestyle interventions can contribute to improvements in health and quality of life.

In addition to the regular care provided by the attending physician, participants in TeLIPro receive individual health coaching over the phone. The coaches, who are specially trained in diabetes and motivation, set individual goals in cooperation with the patients and accompany them throughout the program, which runs for a total of twelve months. During the sessions, the coaches support the diabetes patients in permanently changing their eating and exercise behavior.

The program also includes monitoring of disease- and lifestyle-relevant parameters using a blood glucose meter, a scale and a pedometer. The patients and their coaches can access the respective values via the online portal of the German Institute for Telemedicine and Health Promotion (DITG). Step by step, patients are introduced to independent disease management and the independent implementation of lifestyle changes.

Methods

A randomized controlled single-blind trial will be conducted to evaluate the project. Primary data as well as routine data are processed within the scope of the study. Various medical parameters will be collected as endpoints, including the HbA1c level. Behavioral parameters and health-related quality of life will be obtained through validated questionnaires. Patient preferences are represented by a discrete choice experiment. The evaluation will also include a health economic analysis, in which the cost-effectiveness of TeLIPro will be examined on a service- and sector-specific basis.