Design of Health Management Program for Elderly Diabetic Patients Based on Self-Efficacy Theory

This study explores digital intervention pathways based on self-efficacy theory to address insufficient self-efficacy and usability issues faced by elderly diabetic patients in digital health management. Heuristic evaluation (HE) and cognitive walkthrough (CW) are employed to analyze the usability of mainstream diabetes self-management applications, identifying problems in elderly users' usage processes and self-efficacy acquisition. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with 30 diabetic patients aged over 60 years, and a diabetes management app-specific self-efficacy scale is designed for quantitative evaluation. User requirements are analyzed through the KJ method and user journey mapping. A closed-loop system of "behavioral trigger—efficacy feedback—behavioral adjustment" and corresponding design strategies are proposed. A self-management program meeting elderly users' needs is designed accordingly. The assessment using the diabetes management app-specific self-efficacy scale demonstrates that the program achieves an average score of 31.56, which is significantly higher than the control application (F=52.41, p