Developing Distributed Expertise Coordination Models of Diabetes Care Teams

Abstract

With the increasing rate of diabetes diagnoses, more patients and healthcare providers are exchanging information. There is a need to understand these diabetes team coordination processes to help facilitate optimal patient care. However, prior to evaluating team coordination processes, it is essential to first define the members of the team. The purpose of this research is to use social network analysis tools to determine the most common and critical diabetes care team members from the practicing healthcare professional perspective. Using participant rankings and measures of centrality (in-degree and in-strength), it was found that the key roles include primary care providers, registered dietitians, registered nurses, pharmacists, endocrinologists, and social workers. The results of this work highlight the importance of coordinating multiple expertise roles and information flow pathways when enhancing diabetes care activities.