Community-based primary care: improving and assessing diabetes management.
Morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes make it a prime target for quality improvement research. Quality gaps and racial/gender disparities persist throughout this population of patients necessitating a sustainable improvement in the clinical management of diabetes. The authors of this study sought (1) to provide a population perspective on diabetes management, and (2) to reinforce evidence-based clinical guidelines through a Web-based educational module.The project also aimed to gain insight into working remotely with a community of rural physicians. This longitudinal pre-post intervention study involved 18 internal medicine physicians and included 3 points of medical record data abstraction over 24 months. A Web-based educational module was introduced after the baseline data abstraction. This module contained chapters on clinical education, practice tools, and self-assessment. The results showed a sustained improvement in most clinical outcomes and demonstrated the effectiveness of using Web-based mediums to reinforce clinical guidelines and change physician behavior.
Department of Medical Education and Publishing, American College of Physicians, 190 N Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA. mgannon@acponline.org
Meghan
M
Gannon
Amir
A
Qaseem
Vincenza
V
Snow
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D055815:Young Adult