Usage of mobile applications in diabetes management: a review

Peer-reviewed articles on the usage of mobile applications in the management of diabetes were reviewed. Studies using mobile device applications for diabetes interventions published between January 2007 and March 2013 were included in this review. Studies related to the developmental processes of the mobile applications were excluded. The characteristics of these studies and the outcomes of the methods used in the management of diabetes were gathered. We retrieved a total of 372 articles from ACM Digital library, PubMed and Proquest Medical Library. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 articles were eligible for further review. Most of the studies included in this review showed the effectiveness of mobile applications in diabetes management. Their major contribution comes from feedback functions of the systems that assist participants in the self-monitoring of their blood glucose and dietary intake. However, the majority of the studies showed the limited use of the mobile phone as a tool to input information into systems which would in turn convey a reminder message to the patient. In conclusion, with its features of portability and convenience, mobile application used in the management of diabetes has the potential to improve glycaemic control, resulting in significant clinical and financial benefits

Analysis of Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) of Malaysian Manufacturing Sectors: Current Status and Practices

Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) requires to tap the power of Information Technology (IT) and integrate information system in order to stay competitive and customer oriented. Thus, the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is one solution to integrate information technology infrastructure to meet global competition. This research paper investigates the factors that prevent Malaysian SMEs from fully adopting the ERP system. Through various literatures, this paper will address the degree of factors that gave an impact and provide rating of impact to the SMEs. Quantitative surveys were done in 21 SMEs to understand the actual situation of ERP adoption. The research instrument use was the online survey system. Results from the survey concludes that the on-availability of suitable ERP system the meets the SME business needs is one of the five important factors that prevents the adoption of such system