Behavioral and technological interventions targeting glycemic control in a racially/ethnically diverse population: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes self-care by patients has been shown to assist in the reduction of disease severity and associated medical costs. We compared the effectiveness of two different diabetes self-care interventions on glycemic control in a racially/ethnically diverse population. We also explored whether reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) will be more marked in minority persons. METHODS: We conducted an open-label randomized controlled trial of 376 patients with type 2 diabetes aged ≥18 years and whose last measured HbA1c was ≥7.5% (≥58 mmol/mol). Participants were randomized to: 1) a Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP; n = 101); 2) a diabetes self-care software on a personal digital assistant (PDA; n = 81); 3) a combination of interventions (CDSMP + PDA; n = 99); or 4) usual care (control; n = 95). Enrollment occurred January 2009-June 2011 at seven regional clinics of a university-affiliated multi-specialty group practice. The primary outcome was change in HbA1c from randomization to 12 months. Data were analyzed using a multilevel statistical model. RESULTS: Average baseline HbA1c in the CDSMP, PDA, CDSMP + PDA, and control arms were 9.4%, 9.3%, 9.2%, and 9.2%, respectively. HbA1c reductions at 12 months for the groups averaged 1.1%, 0.7%, 1.1%, and 0.7%, respectively and did not differ significantly from baseline based on the model (P = .771). Besides the participants in the PDA group reporting eating more high-fat foods compared to their counterparts (P < .004), no other significant differences were observed in participants' diabetes self-care activities. Exploratory sub-analysis did not reveal any marked reductions in HbA1c for minority persons but rather modest reductions for all racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although behavioral and technological interventions can result in some modest improvements in glycemic control, these interventions did not fare significantly better than usual care in achieving glycemic control. More research is needed to understand how these interventions can be most effective in clinical practice. The reduction in HbA1c levels found in our control group that received usual care also suggests that good routine care in an integrated healthcare system can lead to better glycemic control. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01221090.

Factors associated with successful completion of the chronic disease self-management program by adults with type 2 diabetes.

This study examines factors associated with completion (attendance ≥4 of 6 sessions) of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) by adults with type 2 diabetes. Patients with glycated hemoglobin ≥ 7.5 within 6 months were enrolled and completed self-report measures on demographics, health status, and self-care (n = 146). Significant differences in completion status were found for several self-care factors including healthful eating plan, spacing carbohydrates, frequent exercise, and general health. Completion was not influenced by race/ethnicity or socioeconomics. Results suggest better attention to exercise and nutrition at the start of CDSMP may be associated with completion, regardless of demographic subgroup.

Nursing homes and the affordable care act: a cease fire in the ongoing struggle over quality reform.

Most provisions in the Affordable Care Act that affect nursing homes originated in two earlier attempts at reform, both of which failed multiple times in prior Congressional sessions: the Elder Justice Act and the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act. Both of these earlier efforts focused on improving quality and reducing elder abuse in nursing homes by strengthening oversight and enforcement penalties, expanding staff training, and increasing the information on nursing home quality available to consumers and regulators. Each bill addressed problems that were serious, widespread, and had persisted for years, but each failed to pass on its own. The Affordable Care Act, with its own momentum, became the vehicle for their passage. However, the reasons the bills failed in these earlier efforts suggest implementation challenges now that they have ridden into law on the coattails of the more general effort to reform the health care sector.

Factors affecting acceptability and usability of technological approaches to diabetes self-management: a case study.

PURPOSE: This study explored the impact of personal digital assistant (PDA) features, users' perceptions, and other factors that may have hindered PDA acceptability and usability as technology advances in e-health diabetes self-management. STUDY DESIGN AND RESULTS: An ongoing study on PDA usage is set within the context of the advancements of Web 2.0 for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) self-management e-interventions. Advancements in technology as it relates to the future of T2DM mobile applications are discussed as possible deterrents of PDA acceptability and usability. CONCLUSIONS: This case study illustrates the importance of addressing factors that may impede the adoption of electronic devices intended for sustained health behavior change. Recognizing the importance of individual perception within the context of rapid technological advancements is imperative for designing future health interventions. Incorporating electronic devices that individuals are more inclined to utilize, such as smartphones, as the platform for health interventions is a promising strategy to improve acceptability and usability, allowing researchers to more accurately assess the health benefits of self-management programs.

Medicaid Personal Care Services and caregivers' reports of children's health: the dynamics of a relationship.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) and caregivers' reports of activity (activities of daily living [ADL]) limitations for children with chronic health problems. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Primary data collected in 2008 and 2009. A state Medicaid program was the setting. The focus was children receiving Medicaid PCS. DATA COLLECTION: Medicaid case managers assessed children to determine their need for PCS, using information provided by the child or informal caregivers. Two thousand seven hundred assessments were provided to researchers directly from case managers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Medical conditions and impairments explained 58 percent of the variance in the child's activity limitations. Activity limitations and problem behaviors explained 28 percent of the variance in PCS hours authorized. Which case manager completed the assessment also played a substantial role in determining hours of care. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers' reports of the severity of a child's activity limitations effectively summarize the effects of conditions and impairments on the child's ADL performance and have a significant impact on the level of services provided. Assessors often respond differently to children's characteristics and circumstances as they move from assessment to decisions concerning care provision. Our results imply that the provision of appropriate services may be enhanced when both case managers and caregivers play an active role in decisions concerning care provision.

Severity of children's intellectual disabilities and Medicaid personal care services.

OBJECTIVES: This research investigated the relationship between a child's reported intellectual disability (ID) level and caregivers' reports of the child's health status to predict Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) hours authorized for that child. We also investigated how activity limitations in the home varied with the level of ID. DESIGN: The sample included 1,108 community-residing children with a reported level of ID in the Texas Medicaid system and who were assessed for the PCS program. All data were collected with the Personal Care Assessment Form (PCAF), an instrument developed by the authors for evaluating children's PCS needs. Case managers completed the PCAF in the child's home with the child and primary caregivers present. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test a model reflecting the role of ID and other characteristics of the child in determining the number of PCS hours authorized. Additional analyses revealed the degree to which variation among the case managers affected the number of hours authorized. RESULTS: ID level and other individual characteristics had a significant effect on reports of a child's activity limitations (R2 = .67), which in turn affected the hours of PCS authorized (R2 = .27). We found no significant direct relationship between ID level and PCS hours: ID level had an indirect relationship on PCS hours through activity limitations. When the variance in hours authorized was decomposed, individual characteristics accounted for 20% of the variance and case managers accounted for 14%. CONCLUSIONS: Assessments of caregiver and child strengths and limitations in the home are critical in the allocation of Medicaid home-based services, above and beyond the information conveyed by demographic and diagnostic data. Implications for home-based assessments of functional limitations and needs for family caregivers and their children with ID are discussed.