Sarcouncil Journal of Medical Sciences

Abstract: Background: Mobile health (mHealth) applications are increasingly used to support diabetes self-management. While clinical outcomes have been widely studied, less is known about the experiential dimensions that shape patient and provider engagement with these tools. Objective: To systematically review empirical studies reporting patient and healthcare provider experiences with mHealth applications for diabetes self-management, focusing on usability, acceptability, barriers, facilitators, and integration into care. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar for studies published between January 2015 and November 2025. Inclusion criteria targeted primary empirical studies involving adult patients or healthcare providers, reporting experiential data on mHealth use. A thematic synthesis approach was applied to analyse qualitative and mixed-methods findings, with quantitative data narratively integrated. Reference management and deduplication were performed using Zotero. Results: Patients generally reported high acceptability, particularly when apps offered personalization, real-time feedback, and cultural tailoring. Usability challenges, including data entry burden, navigation complexity, and technical glitches, were common, with older adults and those with limited digital literacy disproportionately affected. Barriers in low-resource settings included cost, connectivity, and limited awareness of available support. Facilitators of engagement included gamification, peer support, offline functionality, and integration with clinical care teams. Providers valued apps for remote monitoring and communication, but highlighted barriers such as workflow disruption, message fatigue, and lack of training. Clinical integration and interoperability with electronic medical records were identified as prerequisites for adoption. Conclusions: mHealth applications hold promise for empowering patients and enhancing diabetes care, but their success depends on bridging the gap between technological innovation and real-world usability, trust, and integration. Inclusive design, culturally tailored features, offline functionality, and institutional support are critical for equitable adoption. Future research should examine longitudinal impacts, equity in digital health access, and strategies for sustainable provider integration.