Effectiveness of a digital health-enabled community pharmacy counseling intervention for type 2 diabetes management: A pre-post study in South Korea.

Authors

Chang Ok Choi, Xiaoxiao Chen, Chun Bae Park, Hyun Cheol Chung, Kwang Joon Kim

Published in

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA. Pages 103525. Sep 20, 2026. Epub Sep 20, 2026.

Abstract

Despite the availability of effective pharmacological therapies, glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus remains suboptimal in real-world settings. Digitally enabled care models offer opportunities to enhance continuous monitoring and patient-centered management in community-based settings.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a digital health-enabled community pharmacy counseling intervention for type 2 diabetes management.
This pre-post study evaluated a 24-week intervention involving community pharmacists, integrating biweekly medication counseling, self-monitoring of blood glucose support, and structured lifestyle management through a digital health platform and connected monitoring devices. (Trial Registration: KCT0011486) RESULTS: A total of 28 patients and 17 community pharmacists were included. Mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) decreased significantly from 8.12 ± 1.10% at baseline to 7.30 ± 0.86% at 24 weeks (mean difference -0.82%, p < 0.001). Significant reductions were also observed in fasting blood glucose (p = 0.021) and triglycerides (p = 0.018). Improvements in glycemic control were evident by 3 months and were sustained throughout the intervention period. Patient-reported outcomes demonstrated significant improvements in both diabetes-related awareness and self-care behaviors. Awareness improved across key domains, including HbA1c knowledge, medication use, exercise, dietary management, and complication awareness (p = 0.035, 0.017, 0.002, 0.009, and 0.031, respectively). Self-care behaviors also improved, particularly in glucose monitoring (p = 0.009), dietary habits (p = 0.009), and physical activity, including exercise frequency (p = 0.002) and duration (p < 0.001). Despite these improvements, dietary management remained the most frequently reported challenge.
A digital health-enabled community pharmacy service was associated with improvements in glycemic control and patient self-management in type 2 diabetes. These findings support the potential of digitally integrated pharmacy services as a scalable approach to chronic disease management. Further controlled studies are warranted to establish causal effects and long-term sustainability.

PMID:
42764129
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Sep 2026.

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