Doctors who treat type 2 diabetes want better tools to help their patients manage blood sugar and stay healthy. Researchers asked 9 healthcare professionals what features they’d like in a digital dashboard—a kind of online control center—that shows both medical information and lifestyle data like exercise and eating habits. The doctors said they need a tool that brings all this information together in one place, shows how diet and activity affect blood sugar levels, and helps them work with patients to set realistic goals. This study helps designers understand what doctors actually need to give patients better, more personalized care.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: What features and tools would help doctors better manage type 2 diabetes care using digital monitoring systems that combine medical data with lifestyle information
- Who participated: 9 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, and other diabetes care specialists) who regularly treat people with type 2 diabetes, divided into 2 discussion groups
- Key finding: Healthcare professionals identified 50 specific features they want in a diabetes monitoring dashboard, with most requests focusing on how the tool should work (62%) rather than how it looks. Doctors emphasized the need to see connections between eating, exercise, medication, and blood sugar levels all in one place.
- What it means for you: If you have type 2 diabetes, better digital tools may soon help your doctor give you more personalized care by tracking your daily habits alongside your medical information. This could lead to more meaningful conversations about your health goals and better support for making lifestyle changes.
The Research Details
This was a qualitative study, which means researchers focused on understanding people’s experiences and opinions rather than testing a specific treatment. The team held 2 focus group sessions where 9 healthcare professionals discussed their experiences managing diabetes patients and what they’d want in an ideal digital dashboard tool.
During these 1.5-hour sessions, the professionals shared real-world challenges they face, talked about what would help them do their jobs better, and worked together to describe what an ideal dashboard should include. The researchers recorded and carefully reviewed everything that was said, looking for common themes and ideas that came up repeatedly.
They then organized all the feedback into 50 specific requirements and sorted them into four categories: what the tool should do (functions), how easy it should be to use (interaction), what information it should show (content), and how it should look (style). Finally, they ranked these requirements by importance using a priority system.
Understanding what healthcare professionals actually need is crucial before building new digital health tools. By asking doctors and nurses directly about their challenges and wishes, researchers can design systems that will actually be useful in real clinical practice. This approach prevents wasting time and money building tools that doctors won’t use or that don’t solve real problems.
This study has both strengths and limitations. The strength is that it directly involves the people who will use the tool, giving authentic insights into real clinical needs. However, the sample size is small (only 9 professionals), so the findings may not represent all doctors’ preferences. The study was also conducted in one location, which may limit how broadly these findings apply. Additionally, this study identifies what doctors want but doesn’t test whether a dashboard built on these requirements actually improves patient outcomes.
What the Results Show
Healthcare professionals identified 50 distinct features and requirements for an ideal diabetes monitoring dashboard. The largest category of requests (31 requirements, or 62%) focused on what the tool should actually do—its functions and capabilities. These included tracking blood sugar patterns, medication use, physical activity, and nutrition data all together.
The second most common requests (9 requirements, or 18%) were about how easy and intuitive the tool should be to use. Doctors wanted simple navigation and the ability to quickly see important information without getting lost in complicated menus.
Seven requirements (14%) concerned what information should be displayed and how it should be organized. Participants emphasized wanting a simple home screen that shows the most important information at a glance, with the option to dig deeper into details when needed.
The smallest category (3 requirements, or 6%) involved visual design and appearance, suggesting that how the tool looks is less important to doctors than how it works.
Several specific themes emerged as particularly important to the healthcare professionals. They strongly emphasized wanting to see how different factors interact—specifically how nutrition, physical activity, and medications all work together to influence blood sugar levels. They also wanted the tool to incorporate psychological and emotional aspects of diabetes management, not just medical numbers. Professionals expressed interest in features that would support collaborative goal-setting with patients, helping them work together to create realistic, personalized health plans. They also wanted visual trend analysis, meaning graphs and charts that show patterns over time rather than just individual data points.
This research builds on existing knowledge that digital tools can help manage chronic diseases like diabetes. Previous studies have shown that combining in-person doctor visits with digital monitoring (called ‘blended care’) can improve outcomes. However, most current diabetes monitoring systems focus mainly on medical data like blood sugar and medications. This study reveals that healthcare professionals want something more comprehensive—tools that integrate lifestyle data, psychological factors, and show how everything connects together. This suggests that future diabetes management tools should be more holistic than many current options.
The study involved only 9 healthcare professionals, which is a small group. Their preferences may not represent all doctors or all types of healthcare settings. The study was conducted in what appears to be a single location, so results might differ in other regions or countries with different healthcare systems. Additionally, this research identifies what doctors want but doesn’t actually test whether building a dashboard based on these requirements would improve patient care or health outcomes. The study also doesn’t include input from patients themselves about what they would find helpful, which could be important for designing truly patient-centered tools.
The Bottom Line
If you have type 2 diabetes, watch for new digital tools that combine medical and lifestyle tracking in your doctor’s office. When evaluating these tools, look for ones that show how your eating, exercise, and medications affect your blood sugar—not just individual numbers. Work with your healthcare team to use these tools for collaborative goal-setting rather than just monitoring. Confidence level: Moderate. While this research shows what doctors want, actual patient benefits depend on how well the final tools are designed and implemented.
This research is most relevant to people with type 2 diabetes who use digital monitoring tools or are considering them, healthcare professionals who manage diabetes patients, and companies developing digital health products. It’s less relevant to people with type 1 diabetes or those who prefer traditional in-person-only care, though some insights may still apply. Healthcare systems and insurance companies may also benefit from understanding what tools would help doctors provide better care.
If new dashboards based on these requirements are developed, it typically takes 1-2 years to design, test, and launch new digital health tools. Even after launch, it may take 3-6 months of regular use before you and your doctor see clear benefits in your diabetes management. Benefits would likely include more meaningful conversations with your doctor, better understanding of how your daily habits affect your blood sugar, and more personalized treatment plans.
Want to Apply This Research?
- Track three key data points daily: (1) blood sugar readings at consistent times, (2) physical activity duration and type, and (3) main meals and their approximate composition. This mirrors what healthcare professionals identified as most important for understanding how behaviors affect health outcomes.
- Use the app to set one specific, collaborative goal with your healthcare provider each month—for example, ‘walk 30 minutes, 4 days per week’ or ‘reduce sugary drinks to 2 per week.’ Review your progress together during check-ins to see how the behavior change affects your blood sugar patterns.
- Review your combined data (medical + lifestyle) weekly to identify patterns. For example, notice if your blood sugar is higher on days when you’re less active or eat certain foods. Share these observations with your doctor at appointments to refine your treatment plan together. This creates the ‘collaborative goal-setting’ that healthcare professionals said they need.
This research describes what healthcare professionals want in digital diabetes management tools but does not test whether such tools actually improve health outcomes. Before making changes to your diabetes management routine or adopting new monitoring tools, consult with your healthcare provider. This study is based on a small group of professionals and may not represent all healthcare settings or preferences. Digital monitoring tools should complement, not replace, regular in-person medical care and professional medical advice.
This research translation is published by Gram Research, the science division of Gram, an AI-powered nutrition tracking app.