Diabetes control through an educational intervention.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effect of an educational intervention administered to patients or/and physicians on the reduction in HbA(1c) and achieving diabetic control in a high-risk primarily Black inner-city population. METHODS: The study was designed as a four-arm randomized clinical trial where an educational program on diabetes was offered to physicians only, patients only, and both physicians and their patients, while the fourth arm did not receive any instruction. We built regression models at 24 months of follow-up to assess the likelihood of reaching glycemic goal as well as to measure the absolute reduction in HbA(1c) controlling for arm assignment, insulin use, race, age, sex, smoking, insulin use, and having achieved blood pressure control. RESULTS: Between April 2005 and July 2007, there were 823 patients randomized into the study. In multivariate analyses, the intervention group in which only patients received education showed a trend toward achieving a significant mean reduction in HbA(1c) with 49% (P = .06) higher odds of reaching glycemic control and .12 (P = .06) greater absolute percentage point drop in HbA(1c) compared to the no education group. CONCLUSION: Although our study reports positive results, it warrants a special emphasis on the behavior of the patient. Study results bring attention to disease management programs such as peer support networks that empower the patients that shift some of the responsibility to them.

Barriers to Self-Management of Diabetes : a Qualitative Study among Low-Income Minority Diabetics

Objectives : Diabetes self-management is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. Identifying barriers to disease self-management is a critical step in achieving optimal health outcomes. Our goal was to explore patients' perceptions about barriers to self-management of diabetes that could possibly help explain poor health outcomes among minority patients. Study design : Four focus groups were conducted among 31 predominately African-American patients with diabetes who were enrolled in the Baltimore Cardiovascular Partnership Study; a NIH-funded multi-year prospective partnership study. The topic guide consisted of a series of open-ended questions about knowledge of current health status; medication use; continuity of care; blood glucose level and nutrition. Results : The focus groups confirmed that previously reported barriers to self-management persisted; and identified new concerns that could be associated with poor health outcomes among minority patients with diabetes. Attitudes; perceptions and behaviours surrounding diabetes and self-management of the condition did vary across individuals; however; the variation appeared to reflect the individual's knowledge and opinions rather than patient's age; gender or culture. The primary barrier to diabetes self-management resulted from lack of knowledge of target blood glucose level and blood pressure. Several participants found some of the health information quite confusing. Conclusions : Diabetes is a major public health concern and the lack of awareness of target blood glucose level and blood pressure further complicates the problem. The limited health literacy seen in this study could help explain several of the barriers to self-management. The barriers to self-management identified in this qualitative study are amenable to intervention that could improve health outcomes

Barriers to self-management of diabetes: a qualitative study among low-income minority diabetics.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes self-management is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. Identifying barriers to disease self-management is a critical step in achieving optimal health outcomes. Our goal was to explore patients' perceptions about barriers to self-management of diabetes that could possibly help explain poor health outcomes among minority patients. STUDY DESIGN: Four focus groups were conducted among 31 predominately African American patients with diabetes who were enrolled in the Baltimore Cardiovascular Partnership Study, a NIH-funded multiyear prospective partnership study. The topic guide consisted of a series of open-ended questions about knowledge of current health status, medication use, continuity of care, blood glucose level and nutrition. RESULTS: The focus groups confirmed that previously reported barriers to self-management persisted and identified new concerns that could be associated with poor health outcomes among minority patients with diabetes. Attitudes, perceptions and behaviors surrounding diabetes and self-management of the condition did vary across individuals, however, the variation appeared to reflect the individual's knowledge and opinions rather than patient's age, sex, or culture. The primary barrier to diabetes self-management resulted from lack of knowledge of target blood glucose and blood pressure. Several participants found some of the health information to be quite confusing. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes is a major public health concern and the lack of awareness of target blood glucose and blood pressure further complicates the problem. The limited health literacy seen in this study could help explain several of the barriers to self-management. The barriers to self-management identified in this qualitative study are amenable to intervention that could improve health outcomes.

Lessons learned from community-based minority health care serving system participation in an NIH clinical trial.

To address the historically low rate of minority participation in clinical trials, the NIH and others have provided incentives to increase the diversity of patients and study sites involved in NIH-funded research. An example of the efforts to achieve this aim was the creation of the Partnerships Program to Reduce Cardiovascular Health Disparities," whereby a health care system that serves a predominantly minority patient population partners with a research-intensive medical center that has a track record of NIH-supported research. In the city of Baltimore, Maryland, the Bon Secours Baltimore Health System partnered with the University of Maryland and was awarded 1 of 7 U01 partnerships within cardiovascular health. This commentary describes the qualitative experiences of the participating physicians and not a quantitative analysis of the study data or findings. It describes the lessons learned by Bon Secours that can address patient and physician barriers to clinical trial participation. Based upon the views of participating physicians, it is easiest to engage physicians when there is a supportive principal investigator and appropriate infrastructure to do research. Patient recruitment requires cultural competence and sensitivity, and using minority physicians, nurses, and staff may greatly assist in building the trust that is necessary for patients to be willing to participate in research. Clarity of the study's purpose and aims at the outset is critical, and reinforcement with educational sessions helped with physician and patient retention throughout the study.

Diabetes knowledge in a high risk urban population.

This study explored the impact of an intensive educational intervention to patients on their knowledge and understanding of diabetes. This study was a hypothesis-testing, prospective study, with an experimental two-by-two factorial design. The educational programs were offered to physicians only, patients only, or both patients and their physicians. In the fourth arm, neither patients nor their physicians received any education. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes were enrolled in the study. The outcome was the changes in the score of patients on the diabetes knowledge test. The knowledge test was administered at the time of enrollment and every six months thereafter. The study showed that a total of 622 (75%) patients took the diabetes knowledge test. The mean diabetes knowledge test score increased over time for both insulin and non-insulin users. The mean diabetes knowledge score in patients with patient education only was 11 points higher compared to those in the group of patients and their physicians without education (P=.0104). The study indicated that patients who are exposed to the educational program end up with better knowledge on all counts, than patients who just go through the health care system in the course of usual care for diabetes.