AI Chatbot Mobile App for Self-Management in Type 2 Diabetes (CHAT-T2DM)

November 3, 2026 updated by: Mohamed Fakhry Ahmed Salem, Alexandria University

Effect of an AI-Powered Chatbot-Integrated Mobile Application on Self-Efficacy, Self-Care Behaviors, and Medication Adherence Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Mixed-Methods Randomized Controlled Trial

Type 2 diabetes needs daily self-management, but most of it happens outside the clinic, where patients get little continuous support. Earlier studies of mobile applications and chatbots were mostly short, and few tested whether benefits last after use stops. This randomized controlled trial will test an Arabic-language mobile application with an artificial intelligence chatbot for adults with type 2 diabetes attending outpatient diabetes clinics in Egypt. The application offers diabetes education, reminders, glucose and activity logging, goal setting, prompts that adapt when use declines, a diabetes distress check, and nurse oversight. A total of 120 adults will be randomly assigned equally to usual care plus the application for 8 weeks, or to usual care with an educational leaflet. Outcome assessors will not know group assignment. The main outcome is self-efficacy. Other outcomes are self-care behaviors, medication adherence, disease knowledge, random blood glucose, diabetes distress, and application use, measured at the start, at 8 weeks, and 6 and 12 weeks after the intervention ends. About 20 intervention participants will then be interviewed about their experiences and what helps or hinders continued use, and these findings will be combined with the trial results.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Alexandria Governorate
      • Alexandria, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt, 2500
        • Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for at least 6 months
  • Using a smartphone (Android or iOS) with internet access, or willing to use a study-provided basic training to do so
  • Able to read and communicate in Arabic
  • On a stable antidiabetic regimen for at least 3 months
  • Willing to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Type 1 or gestational diabetes
  • Severe cognitive impairment, psychiatric illness, or visual/hearing impairment preventing app use
  • Acute diabetic complications or unstable medical conditions at enrollment
  • Participation in another diabetes self-management trial
  • Healthcare workers (to limit contamination)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: AI Chatbot App Plus Usual Care

Usual care (routine clinic follow-up and standard diabetes education) plus the AI chatbot-integrated mobile application for 8 weeks.
Behavioral: AI Chatbot-Integrated Mobile Application

Eight-week use of an Arabic-language mobile application with an AI conversational chatbot that answers diabetes questions and delivers structured education on diet, activity, glucose monitoring, medication use and foot care. Includes personalized medication and self-monitoring reminders; glucose and activity logging with feedback; goal setting, progress summaries and positive reinforcement; adaptive engagement prompts and content that change when usage declines; a diabetes distress screening module with escalation to the study nurse for flagged participants; and a nurse dashboard for monitoring usage and responding to safety alerts. The chatbot does not give insulin or drug dose changes and redirects urgent symptoms to emergency care. Participants receive app installation and a short orientation.
No Intervention: Usual Care With Educational Leaflet

Usual care (routine clinic follow-up and standard diabetes education) with an educational leaflet. Control participants will be offered the application after the final assessment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Management
Time Frame: Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20

Self-efficacy in managing diabetes measured with the Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale (validated Arabic version); higher scores indicate greater self-efficacy. Group comparison of change from baseline, adjusted for baseline score.
Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Self-Care Behaviors
Time Frame: Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20

Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA), Arabic version; higher scores indicate more frequent self-care.
Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20
Change in Self-Reported Medication Adherence
Time Frame: Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20

Self-report medication adherence scale, Arabic version (instrument to be confirmed before data collection).
Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20
Change in Disease Knowledge
Time Frame: Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20

Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ-24), Arabic version; higher scores indicate greater knowledge.
Baseline, week 8, week 14 and week 20
Participant Experiences With the App
Time Frame: After the week 20 assessment

Semi-structured in-depth interviews on experiences, barriers and facilitators of continued use.
After the week 20 assessment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Alexandria University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Mohamed Fakhry Ahmed Salem, Alexandria University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 9, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 9, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 3, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 3, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AICHATBOT-T2DM-RCT-2026

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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