Virtual Lifestyle Management: Prevention Through the UPMC Patient Portal

Diabetes affects 18 million Americans and costs over $132 billion in both direct treatment and lost productivity per year. It is known that weight loss, improved diet and increased exercise can result in improvement in glucose, lipid, and blood pressure control in patients with diabetes and reduce the incidence of diabetes in individuals at high risk. Effective delivery of proven, comprehensive lifestyle programs is difficult because of associated high costs.

The internet provides a venue to deliver these lifestyle programs to large numbers of individuals while decreasing the cost per person. HealthTrak, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) patient portal, provides an ideal setting to test such a program. HealthTrak provides participants with access to individual medical information while facilitating electronic communication with their physicians. Portal enhancements will allow the delivery of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention aimed at weight loss, improved diet, and increased exercise, and provide the opportunity to communicate with experts regarding concerns.

Through this project, we will evaluate the modification of a successful comprehensive lifestyle intervention for delivery through HealthTrak. We will enroll and follow 50 individuals with diabetes or at high risk for diabetes for 12 months and examine change in parameters including diet, weight, physical activity, hemoglobin A1C, glucose, blood pressure, and lipid profile.