The eDiary: Bridging Home and Hospital through Healthcare Technology

The main contribution of the paper is to present challenges relating to the use of new healthcare technology, the eDiary, which seeks to create a better integration between home and hospital. To minimise risks of malformations and other complications, pregnant women with diabetes are enrolled in an extensive treatment regime, which requires frequent visits to an outpatient clinic as well as a high degree of self-care. The eDiary is designed to assist the women in this work, primarily by allowing the women to register their glucose values, record video consultations, and support video-teleconsultations. This paper reports on a pilot study during which pregnant women with diabetes and their healthcare providers make use of the eDiary. The pilot study indicates that such healthcare technology not only allows the women to achieve a better integration of the management of their diabetes into their everyday life, but may also challenge existing power relations between patients and healthcare providers.