Evaluating Patient Education: A Case Study of a Diabetes Program

Abstract

This paper presents an evaluation of a diabetic education program for patients at Stephens County Hospital in Toccoa, Georgia. An analysis of covariance is employed along with multiple classification analysis to determine the effect of the program in reducing hospital readmissions. The major finding is that the teaching program is an important variable in the reduction of readmissions. A second outcome is that the occurrence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) on initial admission is a second factor in determining readmissions. Patients having the benefit of instruction are less likely to experience readmission than those not being educated; those having DKA are more likely to be readmitted within six months from release than those not having this degree of loss of control. Implications of this study suggest that in designing a diabetic education program, greater attention must be focused upon the needs of the ketosis- prone patients.

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