1. Introduction
diabetes [, T2DM, diabetes
TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS, DIABETES
The effectiveness of the multimodal Telemedical Lifestyle Intervention Program (TeLIPro) was proven in the advanced stages of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Since its therapeutic potential focusing on telemedical coaching without using a formula diet is unknown, we evaluated improvements in HbAThe increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one major problem for the healthcare system. In Germany, at least 8 million people are currently affected. Based on health insurance data, it is estimated that this number will rise to 11.5 million T2DM patients by 2040 [In Germany, diabetes care is guaranteed by approx. 300 clinics with diabetes departments, 1100 diabetes practices, and 60,000 general practitioners, with one general practitioner usually treating about 100 patients with T2DM. A second major problem is that due to the age structure, the number of general practitioners and diabetologists is declining, so there are already large regional differences in diabetes care, which will become even more pronounced in the coming years [Since an unhealthy lifestyle is a leading cause of the development of T2DM, studies have shown that within the first years after diabetes diagnosis structured, non-pharmacological lifestyle interventions can significantly improve metabolic control [To close this supply gap, we previously developed the multimodal Telemedical Lifestyle Intervention Program (TeLiPro), a structured lifestyle intervention program combining telemonitoring of physical activity and weight, self-monitoring of blood glucose, telemedical coaching, an evaluated mental motivational training, and carbohydrate-reduced nutrition starting with a 12-week formula diet phase and evaluated the efficacy in a previous randomized-controlled trial (RCT) (NCT02066831) in poorly controlled T2DM [In order to test the TeLIPro telemedical coaching under real-life conditions, i.e., the setting in which TeLIPro would be offered if it would be included as an on-top treatment to routine care, the present RCT received a grant from the Thus, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the potential impact of TeLIPro focusing on telemedical coaching without using a formula diet on metabolic control in real life. Therefore, we enrolled patients with T2DM of German statutory health insurance into an RCT. Based on our previous study in T2DM patients with longer-lasting (mean duration 11 years) and poorly controlled diabetes [