The Development of a Coding Scheme to Examine Technology Use in Diabetes Self-Management

摘要

Technology has become increasingly prevalent in people’s daily lives. Use of the internet is a goodrnexample of this, with more people in the United States using the internet than ever before (Pew ResearchrnCenter, 2017a). Internet-mediated interactions with other users is also popular, and includes the use ofrnsocial media and internet discussion forums. The analysis of these online interactions can represent a usefulrnsource of information to better understand human behavior. A well-developed coding scheme can allowrnresearchers to analyze this internet forum data to address important research questions. For example, onerncould examine problems experienced by users while using glucometers to measure their blood sugar, or therncosts and benefits perceived by users deciding to adopt an insulin pump. We present the development of arncoding scheme to analyze internet forum discussions on the use of technology for diabetes selfmanagement.rnUnique advantages and limitations of this type of data source are discussed along with futurerndirections for the deployment of this coding scheme.