Diabetic E-Monitoring

 

Community Technology Minigrant

Final Report -- January 28, 2008

 

Pictured above is Gloria Terri, R.N., the project’s nurse educator,

during an e-monitoring educational session with a program participant.

Program Accomplishments:

The Diabetic E-Monitoring project has been completed.  The overall goal was to decrease the HbA1c value of newly diagnosed or non-compliant diabetics. HbA1c is a test that measures the amount of glycosylated hemoglobin in your blood. Glycosylated hemoglobin is a molecule in red blood cells that attaches to glucose (blood sugar). You have more glycosylated hemoglobin if you have more glucose in your blood. The test gives a good estimate of how well diabetes is being managed over the last 2 or 3 months.

 

Due to the short timeline of the project a significant number of blood tests could not be documented to show a statistical change. However, project participants reported  a significant increse in self-monitoring of glucose.  Over 80% of program participants reported “occassional” or “not very often” self-monitoring initially and now over 70% report routine self-glucose monitoring as prescribed by their physician.

The second project goal -- to increase the number of newly diagnosed or non-compliant diabetics that receive diabetic education -- was successful.  Before the introduction of this program, Tug River Health Association, Inc. would refer all diabetics to the nurse educator.  This appointment was often scheduled between visits with their physicians due to the caseload and location of the nurse educator. 

 

The compliancy rate for kept diabetic education appointments was less than 40%.  Often these educational apppointments were rescheduled up to three times, without the patient ever coming to the center for this service.  However, 88% of scheduled appointments, via electronic monitoring, were kept.  This is also significant when given the number of patients that were unable to access the entire electronic submission during the initial phase of the program due to problems with the DSL carriers.  This problem was corrected by utilizing additional routers when accessing program participants with that certain DSL carrier.

 

The media attention given to the project, via “HealthTalk” radio on WELC and articles appearing in the Welch Daily News assisted in community education of diabetes.  The program participants received diabetic education and assistance in self-glucose monitoring that we anticipate will result in lower HbA1c levels, decrease the effects of diabetes and assist in decreasing the number of diabetic-related deaths in McDowell County.

 

Program Expenditures:

Expenditures for the E-Monitoring Project as of January 28, 2008 totals $4570.38

 

Previous Total		$2319.18
Dell Computers, Inc.	6 add’l video phones	$2251.20
Final Total		$4570.38

 

Future Plans:

 

Tug River Health Association, Inc. anticpates, upon this successful evaluation, to continue to offer diabetic education to their patients via this technology. Plans are being formulated to extend the education program to other patients, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension and obesity.  The organization plans to seek additional funding for more equipment purchases to increase the number of participants.

 

Respectfully submitted by:

Cheryl Mitchem

Tug River Health Association, Inc