About This Project

Current practices and systems for type 2 diabetes (T2D) management do not allow for real-time improvisations to occur. The unpredictability of life events in the daily routine of T2D individuals call for real-time adaptability. We plan to assist and empower people living with T2D via a digital platform powered by with a compendium consisting of an evidence-based "social vaccine" derived from lived experiences (an extension of a 5 year research project at Monash University).

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The optimal management of T2D depends on the situational context in which self-care processes occur and where social determinants evolve. The prevailing reductionist philosophy of “medication intensification” aimed at achieving strict HbA1c targets, more often than not, neglects the complex nature of T2D. This “glucocentric” approach lacks effectiveness in world where numbers of T2D cases remain unabated.

The management of T2D rests on our clear understanding of specific human elements that are either malleable or resistant to change. This complex pursuit involves the active profiling of what defines the innate personality, basic expectations, and the living experiences of people with T2D.

By design, our holistic approach captures the unpredictability and ever-changing life events that govern outcomes in T2D individuals. Our project seeks to provides real-time insights in managing T2D, forming a precursor to greater participatory involvement in the community.

What is the significance of this project?

Long-term outcomes of this project will be the integration of 1) evidence-based social health/psychological determinants and 2) a novel diabetes self-management inventory (the foundations of a "social vaccine"). Our goals include the creation of a real-world, primary preventive tool to facilitate T2D management using a multipronged approach; development of a centralised platform to screen, predict, and forecast diabetes trends; intuitive screening, prediction and surveillance solutions based on predetermined indicators based on an individualised person-centered profile; and insights into the synergistic relationship between the diabetes, general health and self-management status. This project is the precursor developing an adaptable and scalable platform providing a snapshot of diabetes status in this region, especially in Malaysia.

What are the goals of the project?

We are developing a digital portal informed by composite scores derived from the ASQ-DM and IBM-DM projects. These scores encapsulate the core phenomenon of self-management of T2D, assessed through a series of evidence-based online surveys that have been rigorously tested for for psychometric/scientific validity.

This mobile-friendly digital web-portal allows individuals living with T2D to visualize their self-management “hotspots”, which reflect both internal and external realities (behavioral patterns, emotional states, social contexts, and environmental factors). These are benchmarked against clinical/behavioral metrics and best-practice disease algorithms developed by the lead researcher.

Ultimately, all of this will culminate in the development of a dynamic algorithmic source code powering a Digital Health Observatory—an open-access, community surveillance tool that identifies self-management vulnerabilities while aligning with contemporary human values.