Usability study of mobile social networking system among Saudi Type 2 diabetes patients (SANAD)

Abstract

In recent years, the use of social networking tools in the Gulf region and especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has greatly increased, with the region having one of the highest percentages of social network users globally. The region also has one of the highest percentages of onset diabetes cases globally. There is an increasing interest in the effects of social networks on diabetes management. However, to date there has been no such study either in the Gulf region or in the KSA. In this paper, a new Saudi Arabia Networking Aiding Diabetes (SANAD) system is presented. SANAD would provide smart social behavioural change intervention and management for Saudi diabetic patients. In this paper, we present evaluations of the usability of the SANAD system among Saudi Type 2 diabetes patients. A questionnaire was designed and a survey using QUIS was used to collect data. A sample population of 33 diabetic patients in the Dammam region were surveyed. The key outcome from this study is that 80% of these patients indicated that the SANAD system would be an effective part of their diabetes management.