1 ADVANCE for Executive Insight

DIABETES
Sandy Keefe is a frequent contributor
to ADVANCE for Nurses.
peer
reviewed
PR
Diabetes:
Client & Clinician
Collaboration
A structured care plan establishes the foundation for
diabetes management. By Sandy Keefe, MSN, RN
Diabetes management is a complex process,
requiring collaboration between clients
and healthcare professionals. When
those clients face significant obstacles in their
lives, disease management becomes even more
challenging.
A recently Adult Day Health Council (ADHC)
Research Collaborative Diabetes Management
Study, for example, focused on intensive interdisciplinary
care led by nurse case managers
made a difference in the lives of clients from 10
Adult Day Health Care Centers in New York
City, upstate New York and Buffalo.
The centers serve primarily low-income individuals
with low health literacy and significantly
restricted access to healthcare. The year-long
study of 104 clients focused on the ABCs of diabetes
management: A1c blood tests that identified
blood glucose control, blood pressure control
and cholesterol management.
“These are complex clients with multiple
comorbidities. Similar cohorts of Medicare recipients
who have five or more chronic illnesses
experience as many 10 hospitalizations per year.
[But] clients who attend the ADHC medical
model have a much lower rate of hospitalization,
despite a large percent also being afflicted
advance
40 ADVANCE for Executive Insight