Unlocking potential: impact of mHealth affordance realization on patient well-being

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not reported in abstract

• Effect Size: Not reported in abstract; described qualitatively as 'moderately strengthen' for the moderation effect of realized affordances on technology use–empowerment relationship

• Primary Outcome: Patient psychological well-being in diabetes self-management, fully mediated by patient empowerment in the relationship with mobile technology use

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable; no clinical event rates, sensitivity/specificity, or hazard ratios reported. SEM path coefficients and R² values (standard SmartPLS outputs) are absent from the abstract summary

• Confidence Interval: Not reported

Clinical Application

The practical recommendations — educating patients about mHealth capabilities and providing structured training — are feasible in primary care and diabetes educator settings. However, the evidence base from this single cross-sectional study is insufficient to drive practice change. Implementation would require integration with existing diabetes self-management education programmes and consideration of health literacy levels In Australia, approximately 1.3 million people are diagnosed with diabetes, with management supported through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS), RACGP Standards for General Practice, and PBS-subsidised pharmacotherapy. The Australian Digital Health Agency's My Health Record and various TGA-listed digital health tools (including CGM-linked apps) are increasingly embedded in diabetes care pathways. RACGP's 'Management of type 2 diabetes: A handbook for general practice' (2020) and Diabetes Australia guidelines emphasise structured self-management education. This study's findings are directionally consistent with Australian policy priorities around digital health enablement, but the US-based convenience sample, absence of clinical outcome data, and cross-sectional design mean the evidence cannot directly inform PBS submissions, TGA regulatory decisions, or RACGP guideline updates. Australian clinicians should await longitudinal, clinically validated studies — ideally incorporating HbA1c or CGM data — before modifying structured diabetes education programmes based on this work. Adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who are already engaged with mHealth self-management applications; findings should not be extrapolated to non-users or to patients with significant digital literacy barriers

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study investigates how realized affordances of mobile health technologies influence the relationship between technology use, patient empowerment and well-being in diabetes self-management. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research proposes a technology use-empowerment-well-being (TEW) model based on affordance theory. Data were collected through a survey of 257 diabetes patients using mobile technologies for self-management and analyzed using structural equation modeling with SmartPLS. FINDINGS: Results indicate that patient empowerment fully mediates the relationship between mobile technology use and patient well-being. Importantly, realized affordances moderately strengthen the relationship between technology use and patient empowerment, demonstrating that patients derive greater benefits when they actively utilize technology's capabilities for diabetes management. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Reliance on self-reported data and the cross-sectional design limit causal inferences about the evolution of technology-empowerment-well-being relationships over time. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Healthcare technology designers should focus on creating clear, tangible benefits for patients that support specific self-management behaviors. Healthcare providers should educate patients about the benefits of technology and support them in realizing these affordances through training and ongoing assistance. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study integrates affordance theory with patient empowerment concepts, providing empirical evidence that realized affordances - not merely technology availability - are critical for improving self-management outcomes. The TEW model introduces a novel framework for understanding how technology empowers patients and enhances well-being in chronic disease management.

References

1. 1.Dantu, R., & Murad, M. M. I. (2026). Unlocking potential: impact of mHealth affordance realization on patient well-being. Journal of Health Organization and Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-03-2025-0133