Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #101846

Clare Houseman, PhD, RN, CS¹, Karen Bray, RN, CDE², Holly Beard, MS¹, and Jewel S. Goodman, MPA¹. (1) College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529-0286, 757 683 4259, chousema@odu.edu, (2) Diabetes Management Program, Sentara Health System, Sentara Way, Norfolk, VA 23509

Background: The sixth leading cause of the death in the United States is attributed to diabetes. Sentara Health Care established a Diabetes Management Demonstration and Evaluation Project sponsored by a Merck & Company grant. This one-year project created a Certified Diabetes Nurse Educator (CDE) that provided weekly group counseling sessions at each of the selected practice sites. The primary objective of this evaluation of the Sentara Diabetes Disease Management LifeCoach program is to assess the effectiveness of this program with the management of adult onset diabetes. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with physicians, staff members and patients to assess the response to this demonstration project. Each focus group consisted of 7 to 12 members and lasted approximately one hour. The target population included all current and newly diagnosed Sentara Health Plan members with diabetes (Type 1 or 2) over the age of 18 in 6 primary care practice sites identified as having a high volume of adult diabetes members. Results: Overall, the LifeCoach was well received by physicians, staff, and patients. Because of their self-reported inability to provide effective diabetes management education to their patients, the physicians and staff found the LifeCoach to be a valuable resource to their practice sites. Both physicians and staff found it necessary to incorporate a health educator in their practice. Not all patients found this resource essential to their overall diabetes management on an individual level. However, it should be noted that patients felt the LifeCoach and Diabetes Navigator materials were helpful.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to

• Assess the effectiveness of management of adult onset diabetes as provided by a Certified Diabetes Nurse Educator;
• Recognize the need for and later effectiveness of a diabetes nurse educator in a health setting with a large number of adult patients with diabetes; and
• Apply this diabetes education demonstration project in a health setting for patient health education, health promotion, behavior modification and medical treatment compliance.

Keywords: Diabetes, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.