"Improving Diabetic Patient Engagement through Implementation of Diabetic Care Cards"
Location
Culp Ballroom
Start Date
4-7-2022 9:00 AM
End Date
4-7-2022 12:00 PM
Poster Number
18
Faculty Sponsor’s Department
Family Medicine
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Elizabeth White
Competition Type
Competitive
Type
Poster Presentation
Project's Category
Diabetes
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Managing medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus requires a comprehensive approach that includes empowering the patient to be an active participant in the management of their disease as lifestyle management, in addition to medical therapy, is a crucial component in the care of the diabetic patient. The objective of this project was to determine if implementing diabetic care cards in a family medicine residency clinic would increase patient engagement with their care in the form of knowledge concerning A1C values and subjectively feeling in control of their diabetes. The initial phase of the project involved providing diabetic patients a brief anonymous survey concerning their A1C and asking if they felt in control of their diabetes; these surveys were collected for several months. The next phase consisted of an educational lecture during formal resident physician didactic time where diabetic guidelines were discussed, diabetic care cards were introduced, and the resident physicians were encouraged to utilize the cards with their diabetic patients. After several months of implementation of the diabetic care cards in the clinic, the same anonymous survey was repeated with diabetic patients. A total of 93 anonymous patient surveys were collected prior to formal resident physician education concerning diabetic care cards and a total of 40 anonymous surveys were collected after formal resident physician education. The data from the pre and post educational surveys were then reviewed and compared and data was analyzed. Overall, A1C values did not significantly differ between the pre- and post-survey groups. Although there was a slightly higher percentage of patients who reported knowing their A1C level after the diabetic card implementation, this was not statistically significant and there was not a statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients that felt in control of their diabetes between survey groups. It was found that higher A1c values were associated with patients feeling less in control of their diabetes. A limitation of this study was realized with the methodology; it is not known if every patient who completed a survey also directly encountered the diabetic care card. The study yielded some valuable insight into patient perspective of diabetes control. It was found that an A1C less than or equal to 7%, which is the A1C goal for most diabetic patients, did not necessarily correlate with diabetic patients feeling in control of their diabetes. It was felt that this indicated that there is room for improvement in patient education concerning A1C goal. It also revealed a need for further investigation of the factors that influence whether a patient feels they are in control of their diabetes.
"Improving Diabetic Patient Engagement through Implementation of Diabetic Care Cards"
Culp Ballroom
Managing medical care for patients with diabetes mellitus requires a comprehensive approach that includes empowering the patient to be an active participant in the management of their disease as lifestyle management, in addition to medical therapy, is a crucial component in the care of the diabetic patient. The objective of this project was to determine if implementing diabetic care cards in a family medicine residency clinic would increase patient engagement with their care in the form of knowledge concerning A1C values and subjectively feeling in control of their diabetes. The initial phase of the project involved providing diabetic patients a brief anonymous survey concerning their A1C and asking if they felt in control of their diabetes; these surveys were collected for several months. The next phase consisted of an educational lecture during formal resident physician didactic time where diabetic guidelines were discussed, diabetic care cards were introduced, and the resident physicians were encouraged to utilize the cards with their diabetic patients. After several months of implementation of the diabetic care cards in the clinic, the same anonymous survey was repeated with diabetic patients. A total of 93 anonymous patient surveys were collected prior to formal resident physician education concerning diabetic care cards and a total of 40 anonymous surveys were collected after formal resident physician education. The data from the pre and post educational surveys were then reviewed and compared and data was analyzed. Overall, A1C values did not significantly differ between the pre- and post-survey groups. Although there was a slightly higher percentage of patients who reported knowing their A1C level after the diabetic card implementation, this was not statistically significant and there was not a statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients that felt in control of their diabetes between survey groups. It was found that higher A1c values were associated with patients feeling less in control of their diabetes. A limitation of this study was realized with the methodology; it is not known if every patient who completed a survey also directly encountered the diabetic care card. The study yielded some valuable insight into patient perspective of diabetes control. It was found that an A1C less than or equal to 7%, which is the A1C goal for most diabetic patients, did not necessarily correlate with diabetic patients feeling in control of their diabetes. It was felt that this indicated that there is room for improvement in patient education concerning A1C goal. It also revealed a need for further investigation of the factors that influence whether a patient feels they are in control of their diabetes.