During the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people struggled to see their doctors regularly, 507 people with type 2 diabetes in Greater Manchester tried something new: an online tool called MyWay Diabetes. Two years later, these users had better control of their blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol compared to more than 10,000 similar patients who did not use the platform. The findings, published in the journal PLOS One, suggest that simple digital tools may help people manage a complex disease — and could even save the NHS money in the long run.
MyWay Diabetes links directly to NHS primary care records. Users can view their health information, track their test results, and access educational courses and advice, all in one place. Unlike many health apps, this one connects to the same records their doctors use, giving patients personalized information without needing extra appointments.
"Managing type 2 diabetes requires people to make complex day-to-day decisions about their health," said lead author Dr. Rathi Ravindrarajah from the University of Manchester. "Our findings suggest that accessible digital tools such as MyWay Diabetes can support people in improving important risk factors linked to long-term diabetes complications." Dr. Ravindrarajah noted that the platform provided benefits even during a particularly challenging period for healthcare services.
The researchers, also including lead health economist Luke Paterson and senior author Professor Martin Rutter, emphasized that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol are especially meaningful. "What is particularly encouraging is that we observed improvements not only in blood glucose control, but also in blood pressure and cholesterol," Professor Rutter said. "Changes that, at a population level, could translate into reductions in diabetes-related complications."
The economic analysis found the digital approach was cost-effective and may actually reduce NHS spending over time. "Digital diabetes self-management support can deliver health benefits at relatively low cost," Paterson said. "Even modest improvements across large populations can translate into meaningful reductions in future diabetes-related complications."
Professor Rutter added that digital tools are likely to grow more important as health systems face growing pressures from long-term conditions like type 2 diabetes. The team acknowledged the study was observational, but said the large real-world data set strengthens confidence in the results. They now hope to evaluate the approach across more diverse UK populations.