Evaluation of a programme of group visits and computer-assisted consultations in the treatment of adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.

AIM: To examine the effects of group visits and computer-assisted consultations on quality of life and glycaemic control in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A total of 116 adolescents, aged 11-17 years, and their parents were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 62) or a control group (n = 54). The intervention group was invited to a 15-month programme comprising group visits and computer-assisted consultations. The control group was offered traditional out-patient consultations. Outcomes included changes in HbA(1c) and the adolescents' assessment of generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life measured by the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-CF87) and the Diabetes Quality of Life Questionnaire (DQOL), respectively. RESULTS: One hundred and one adolescents (55/46) agreed to participate, mean age 14.2 years (sd 1.5), mean diabetes duration 6.5 years (sd 3.6, range 1-16 years), mean HbA(1c) 9.3% (sd 1.4, range 6.1-12.8%). Eighty-three (72%) completed the questionnaires at follow-up (intervention/control 45/38). There were significant age by randomization group interactions for diabetes-related impact (P = 0.018), diabetes-related worries (P = 0.004), mental health (P = 0.046) and general behaviour (P = 0.029), implying that the intervention was effective in older adolescents (above 13-14 years). No significant effects on mean HbA(1c) were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Group visits and computer-assisted consultations had beneficial effects on health-related quality of life in older adolescents, the role of this intervention being questionable in younger adolescents.