Diabetes To Go: An Inpatient Diabetes Survival Skills Education Program

MedStar Health

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hyperglycemia; Diabetes Mellitus

Treatments: Behavioral: diabetes self-management education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Industry

Identifiers

NCT03023228

2009-354

Details and patient eligibility

About

A learner-centered diabetes survival skills self-management education program was provided to adults with uncontrolled diabetes in the hospital and generated preliminary evidence of impact on medication adherence and a trend toward reduction in hospital and emergency department admissions.

Full description

This study was a prospective, nonrandomized pilot study conducted among adults with uncontrolled diabetes admitted to the Medicine Service of an urban tertiary teaching hospital were consented to participate in a pilot study which provided diabetes survival skills education. Based on knowledge deficits identified on a diabetes knowledge pre-test the patient was directed to view video content corresponding to those deficiencies and content on sick days and diabetes complications. Evaluation measures were diabetes knowledge, medication adherence, and hospital admissions plus emergency department visits at and/or 3months before baseline and at 2 weeks and 3 months post-discharge. There was improvement in diabetes knowledge and medication adherence, which was sustained to 3 months. A trend was observed toward reduction in emergency department and/or hospital admissions from 3 months pre-intervention to 3 months post-discharge for uncontrolled diabetes. This knowledge-based program successfully provided survival skills education to hospital patients with uncontrolled diabetes and demonstrated preliminary evidence of a positive impact on medication adherence and a trend toward reduction in hospital and emergency department admissions.

Enrollment: 125 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• English speaking with a diabetes mellitus diagnosis (ICD 9 codes 250.xx)
• an admitting blood glucose level of > 200 mg/dL or ≤ 40 mg/dL, and
• an anticipated hospital stay of ≥ 2 days, as estimated by the medical staff, to allow sufficient time for delivery of program content

Exclusion criteria

• pregnancy
• admission to an intensive care unit, and
• any medical condition or cognitive dysfunction that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude active participation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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125 participants in 1 patient group

diabetes self-management education

Experimental group

Description:

Diabetes survival skills self-management education (DSME) program content was aligned with American Diabetes Association and Joint Commission suggested key areas for hospital diabetes education. Content areas were as follows: when and how to take diabetes medications; glycemic goals and self-blood glucose monitoring; definition, prevention, recognition, and treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia; what to do before you see the dietitian; sick day management; and when to call the doctor or go to the ED. Program content was created for delivery via either DVD or print format.

Treatment:

Behavioral: diabetes self-management education