A Literature Review of Telemedicine for Diabetes Patients in Rural Settings

Background: Telehealth interventions have shown promise in enhancing glycemic control, quality of life, and costeffectiveness, particularly in developed countries.However, the utilization of telemedicine in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains limited.Objectives: This review evaluates the use of telemedicine technologies for diabetes management across LMICs, with a specific focus on rural settings.Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using two databases, PubMed and Scopus, for studies published between 2019 and 2024.Thirteen studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected, and relevant data on demographics, telemedicine technologies, intervention outcomes, and limitations were extracted.Two authors independently performed the searches according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, evaluating each study and resolving discrepancies through consensus using Microsoft Excel.Results: Out of the thirteen studies, four were conducted in rural settings in Spain, Rwanda, Mongolia, and Malaysia, while the rest were carried out in urban areas of countries such as the USA, Brazil, India, England, Switzerland, and Sri Lanka.The telehealth technologies employed in these studies resulted in improvements in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, quality-adjusted life years, cost-effectiveness, physical activity, and patient adherence.Conclusions: Telemedicine interventions, such as smartphone applications and video conferencing, have been shown to enhance diabetes management outcomes effectively.In short, remote monitoring for diabetes has demonstrated noteworthy advancements in terms of cost-effectiveness, acceptability, and utilization.