Diabetes in Men: Peer Support Boosts Control : Intervention saved staff time and resources, in addition to lowering HbA1c levels in patients.
From the annual meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine
Also, 40% of the intervention patients attended all three of the optional group sessions, while 25% attended two sessions and 12% went to one session, she said.
Although the study was limited by the inclusion of only male veterans and by its short time frame, “it's clear that the reciprocal care model can be an effective approach for helping diabetic patients help themselves,” Dr. Heisler said.
From an efficiency standpoint, “this model is far less time and resource intensive than other tested programs that have led to similar improvements in A1c,” she said.
“Models like this increase the quality and intensity of assistance that we can provide to our diabetic patients and should be further refined and considered for clinical use,” Dr. Heisler said.
