title: Diabetes update: population management.
abstract: To optimally care for diabetes patients, physicians must adopt a systematic approach to managing the entire panel. At the heart of excellent care is a multidisciplinary health care team working in a patient-centered environment. Options to supplement traditional office visits include shared medical appointments (ie, group visits), patient self-management education, and social media for patient support and education. Educating patients about diabetes is associated with more frequent recommended screening, improved objective measures, cost savings, and improved short-term quality of life, especially when behavioral goal setting is incorporated. Participation in a nurse-led diabetes management program or an outreach program is associated with reduced health care costs and increased receipt of recommended screening and testing for patients with diabetes; implementation of an electronic database or registry system also is associated with these benefits. Some studies show that these interventions are associated with improvements in A1c; however, outcomes data are limited. Formats for group visits vary. Evidence suggests that patients with diabetes who participate in a group education program have lower A1c levels, improved lipid profiles, higher quality of life scores, and improved knowledge about diabetes and problem-solving ability.
authors.affiliation: Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA. deborah.erlich@tufts.edu
authors.forename: Deborah R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Erlich
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Slawson
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaughnessy
mesh_terms: D017046:Cost Savings; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000628:therapy*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012648:Self Care; D061108:Social Media