Evaluation of the clinical impact and cost-utility of a comprehensive digital diabetes self-management platform

To provide information supporting commissioning/implementation decisions on whether the online support programme 'MyWay Diabetes (MWD) should be made available to all people with diabetes across England; including evidence supporting National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal/evaluation. Objectives: In people from different backgrounds, we will assess whether MWD: a) helps people control their diabetes; b) is good value for money; c) is easy for everyone to access/use; and d) how it can be improved. Background: Diabetes affects 10% of people. The NHS spends ~10% of its money treating diabetes and its complications, which are largely preventable through good care. The National Diabetes Audit showed: a) only 1 in 7 people with diabetes are monitored properly; b) only 1 in 3 have well-controlled diabetes; and c) access to structured diabetes education is poor. MWD was created to provide personalised access to NHS health records and structured education. It allows users to monitor and better understand their health and test results and receive personalised advice. People using a version of MWD in Scotland since 2008 have better blood sugar control, fewer diabetes complications and better quality of life than people not using MWD. Through reducing diabetes complications, Scottish research suggests that MWD results in cost-savings of £3 for every £1 spent. MWD research in Greater Manchester has been encouraging but larger studies are required to better understand the impact of MWD within England and its suitability for national roll-out. Design and methods: More than 21,000 people using MWD in England will be compared to people not using MWD to see if MWD helps improve diabetes control. From changes in diabetes control, we will work out whether MWD will reduce diabetes complications, and then decide if it could be cost saving. We will interview people with diabetes from different backgrounds to understand if the platform is easy to access/use and take this information to improve MWD. Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE): The original MWD platform was created and has been developed with extensive PPIE. Our proposal was written with a public co-applicant and a focus group of people living with diabetes. During the project we will work with Vocal, a not-for-profit organisation specialising in PPIE. Vocal will: a) support the inclusion of PPIE throughout key aspects of the project; b) provide training to PPIE members; and c) lead PPIE meetings that will contribute to decision making in the project. Roll-out: If our research shows positive results, there will be a strong case for NHS funding of MWD for people with diabetes across England. MWD has the potential to transform diabetes self-management, providing very low-cost support for people with diabetes, and potential 10-year healthcare savings of £84-337m across England.