Diabetes News: Electronic Monitoring System Allows Patients With Diabetes
Electronic system containing information on diabetes mellitus patients and their primary health care to improve the treatment of diabetes and clinical outcome, revealed a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
The study included 511 patients and 46 family physicians and nurse practitioners, and also offers Web tools with 5 different types of electronic medical records, an automatic telephone and sending one of the colors of materials, half of the study sample. Sixty-two percent of patients improved, compared to the intervention from 42.6% in the control and intervention patients reported greater satisfaction with their diabetes.
Diabetes affects approximately 7% of the total population in Canada and the United States – more than 23 million people – and it costs $ 105 billion in annual direct costs of medical care. The majority of diabetes cares at the community level, mainly primary care physicians.
This study is one of the first clinical trials to demonstrate the success of community-based primary health care and the first trial in Canada.
“Despite the technical difficulties for patients and physicians, we showed that the contents of complex chronic diseases can be improved by electronic monitoring and support of family physicians and patients,” write Dr. Ann-Marie Holbrook, from the University of McMaster et al.
The results of this study, a “strong indications that the range of research activities can and should play in community practice,” said Dr. Richard M. Grant and Blackford Middleton, Harvard Medical School, in the comments. The next step for the patient at the center, not as a disease-based systems for a wide range of patients to assist clinical and management of complex diseases, for a visit to a doctor or nurse.