Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of providing inpatient knowledge-based diabetes “survival skills” education. In addition, the preliminary impact of the survival skills education intervention on medication adherence and hospital plus emergency department admissions was assessed.
Methods
This study was a prospective nonrandomized pilot study conducted in an urban teaching hospital. In sum 125 adults consented—the majority of whom were African American women—with uncontrolled diabetes: blood glucose > 200 mg/dL or < 40 mg/dL upon admission to general medicine units. Mean admitting blood glucose was 283 ± 128 mg/dL. Evaluation measures were diabetes knowledge, medication adherence, and hospital admissions plus emergency department visits at and/or 3 months before baseline and at 2 weeks and 3 months postdischarge.
Results
There was improvement in diabetes knowledge and medication adherence, which was sustained to 3 months. A trend was observed toward reduction in emergency department and/or hospital admissions from 3 months preintervention to 3 months postdischarge for uncontrolled diabetes.
Conclusions
This knowledge-based program successfully provided survival skills education to hospital patients with uncontrolled diabetes and demonstrated preliminary evidence of a positive impact on medication adherence and a trend toward reduction in hospital and emergency department admissions.
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