Patients' education, and its impact on care outcomes, resource consumption and working conditions: data from the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS).

GAGLIARDINO JJ ET AL.

DIABETES & METABOLISM

MASSON EDITEUR

Lugar: Paris; Año: 2012 vol. 38 p. 128 - 134

1262-3636

Aim. – To evaluate the impact of diabetes education provided to people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in non-controlled studies (“real world conditions”) upon quality of care, resource consumption and working conditions. Methods. – Cross-sectional study and longitudinal follow-up describing data (demographic and socio-economic profile, clinical characteristics, treatment of hyperglycaemia and associated cardiovascular risk factors, resource consumption) collected during the second wave of the International Diabetes Management Practices Study (IDMPS) (2006). Patients received diabetes education directly from the practice nurse, dietician or educator, or were referred to ad hoc group education programmes; all programmes made emphasis on healthy life style changes, self-care and active participation in disease control and treatment. Educated vs non educated T2DM patients (n = 5692 each group) paired by age, gender, and diabetes duration were randomly recruited for the IDMPS by the participating physicians at primary care level from 27 countries in Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Outcome measures included clinical (body weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, foot evaluation), metabolic (HbA1c levels, blood lipid profile) and biochemical control measures. Treatment goals were defined according to the ADA guidelines. Results. – T2DM diabetes education improved significantly the percentage of people at target values according to international guidelines. Educated patients increased insulin use and self-care performance, had a lower percentage of chronic complications and a modest increase in costs of care, together with probably higher salaries and slightly better productivity. Conclusion. – Diabetes education is an efficient tool to improve care outcomes without greatly impacting on health care costs.