Evaluating glycemic control for patient-aligned care team clinical pharmacy specialists at a large Veterans Affairs medical center

Background: Management of diabetes mellitus (DM) remains a challenge in the US, as almost half of patients with diabetes are uncontrolled with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) >7%. Over the last decade there has been increasing evidence supporting the integration of Clinical Pharmacy Specialists (CPSs) to multidisciplinary medical teams which have demonstrated improved glycemic control and better clinical outcomes in the primary care setting. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the change in HbA1c levels in patients with diabetes followed by a CPS. The secondary objectives of this study were to evaluate the percent of patients who reached American Diabetes Association (ADA) goal HbA1c (<7%) by study conclusion and evaluate documentation of hypoglycemic events in progress notes. Methods: A retrospective chart review evaluating glycemic control was conducted on patients with DM managed by a CPS at a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients with a diagnosis of Type 1 or Type 2 DM with a baseline HbA1c ≥9% and at least three CPS visits over twelve months were included in this study. Patients with cognitive impairment as documented by ICD-9 codes or with less than three CPS visits over twelve months were excluded. Results: A sample of 79 patients was identified. The mean HbA1c declined by 1.5 percentage points (from 10.6%, SD=1.4 to 9.1%, SD=1.5) after one year. No patients reached ADA goal of HbA1c <7% at study conclusion, however 23% of patients reached a less stringent goal of <8%. All CPS progress notes assessed episodes of hypoglycemia and provided education, and no hospitalizations were related to hypoglycemic events. Conclusions: Integration of a CPS into a veteran's diabetes care was associated with improved outcomes and enhanced hypoglycemic education. Our results advance the existing literature by demonstrating a positive association between CPS intervention and improved glycemic control in a complex veteran population

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Medication adherence and glycemic control in patients with psychotic disorders in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system / Cumplimiento de la medicación y control glucémico en pacientes con desordenes psicóticos en el sistema de salud de la Oficina de Veteranos

Objective: To compare antihyperglycemic medication adherence and glycemic control between individuals with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders and a nonpsychiatric comparison group. Methods: This was a retrospective medical record review. A total of 124 subjects with diabetes (62 patients with schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder and 62 randomly selected, age-matched patients without a psychiatric illness) receiving their medical and psychiatric care exclusively through the Kansas City Veterans Affairs healthcare system during 2008 were included in the study. Adherence to antihyperglycemic and antipsychotic medication was determined by refill records obtained through the computerized patient record system to calculate the cumulative mean gap ratio. Hemoglobin A1C values were utilized to compare glycemic control between groups and compared to glycemic goals established by diabetes treatment guidelines. Results: Antihyperglycemic medication adherence was poor for both groups as approximately 60% of the psychotic disorder group and 75% of the nonpsychiatric comparison group were without antihyperglycemic medication for greater than 30 days during the 12-month period but adherence did not differ between the groups (p=0.182). Antipsychotic adherent subjects (>=80% adherent) were more likely to be adherent to their antihyperglycemic medication (p=0.0003). There were no significant differences between groups in glycemic control (AU)

Objetivo: Comparar la adherencia a la medicación antihiperglucémica y el control glucémico entre individuos con esquizofrenia y desordenes psicóticos relacionados y un grupo de comparación no psiquiátrico. Métodos: Esto fue una revisión retrospectiva de historiales clínicos. Se incluyeron en el estudio a un total de 124 individuos con diabetes (62 pacientes con esquizofrenia o desordenes psicóticos relacionados y 62 pacientes sin enfermedad psiquiátrica aleatoriamente seleccionados y emparejados por edades) que recibían su medicación y sus cuidados psiquiátricos exclusivamente a través del sistema sanitario de la Oficina de Veteranos de Kansas City durante 2008. La adherencia a la medicación antihiperglicemica y antipsicótica se determinó de los registros de recogida de medicación a través del sistema informático para calcular el porcentaje de discordancia medio acumulativo. Se utilizaron los valores de hemoglobina A1C para comparar el control glucémico entre los grupos y comparar con los objetivos glucémicos establecidos en las guias de tratamiento. esultados: La adherencia a la medicación antihiperglucémica fue pobre en ambos grupos, ya que aproximadamente el 60% del grupo de desordenes psicóticos y el 75% del grupo de comparación no psiquiátrico estuvieron sin medicación antihiperglucémica durante más de 30 días en el periodo de 12 meses pero la adherencia no fue diferente entre los grupos (p=0,182). Los individuos adherentes a los antipsicóticos (>=80% adherentes) eran más adherentes a sus antihiperglucémicos (p=0,0003). No hubo diferencias significativas entre los dos grupos en el control glucémico. Conclusión: La adherencia a la medicación antihiperglucémica y el control glucémico fue menos que óptimo en los dos grupos. No hubo diferencias significativas en la adherencia a la medicación antihiperglucémica y al control glucémico entre pacientes con un desorden psicótico y los que no tenían enfermedad psiquiátrica (AU)

A brief community linkage intervention for veterans with a persistent mental illness and a co-occurring substance abuse disorder

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Objective: Individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance abuse problems often exhibit poor outpatient treatment engagement and re-hospitalization following discharge from acute psychiatric services. Although case management can improve treatment engagement and reduce attrition, these services are often delivered indefinitely, limiting the availability of treatment slots. In an effort to reduce re-hospitalization rates and improve outcomes during the transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment, we developed and evaluated Time-Limited Case Management (TLC), an eight-week integrated mental health and substance abuse augmentation intervention. Method: Sixty-five dually diagnosed veterans admitted to inpatient psychiatric treatment were included in the program evaluation, 32 who received the TLC service in addition to Treatment as Usual (TAU) that began during inpatient treatment and continued after the transition to outpatient services, and a comparison group of 33 who received only TAU without transitional support provided through the TLC augmentation service. Results: The TLC group had fewer days and episodes of hospitalization at two and six month post-study entry. Furthermore, the TLC group exhibited greater improvements on the Global Assessment of Functioning from baseline to the six-month follow-up. Conclusion: TLC appears to be an effective transitional augmentation service with benefits that persist beyond the eight weeks of the program. Future research should include a larger and more rigorously controlled trial to confirm the efficacy and unique contributions of the intervention (AU)