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Pour Some Sugar on Me: An Analysis of Diabetes Telehealth Follow-Ups

CP6 - Pour Some Sugar on Me: An Analysis of Diabetes Telehealth Follow-Ups

Poster Type: Research

Track/Topic: A. T. Still University; Quality of Care and Quality Improvement; Technological Solutions and Tools to Improve Care and Population Health Management

Research Objectives: Diabetes rates in Tucson, AZ are high. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sociodemographic factors contributing to diabetes were further compounded by unemployment, virtual education, and fear of contracting COVID. These elements increased the use of telemedicine. This project assesses efficacy of telemedicine for diabetes follow-up and patient preferences for continued use.

Research Study Design/Methods: El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Az reports over 10,500 diabetic patients. Patients 18-75 years old with a documented HbA1c = 7.0 between July and December of 2020 were recruited. El Rio provided a list of 3,024 patients who met these criteria, and 100 patients were randomly selected to be contacted. Patients were called via Doximity dialer and asked to answer questions based on utilization of telehealth or in-person visits. Survey questions were verbally conveyed in English or Spanish related to diabetes control, satisfaction with healthcare visits, and likelihood of choosing telemedicine in the future.

Research Principal Findings and Quantitative/Qualitative Results: 38 of 100 patients agreed to complete the survey. Of those sampled, 24 used telemedicine between July and December of 2020, and the majority were satisfied versus dissatisfied with the care received (Question 6, P=.01). Responses for quality of diabetes management tended to be improved versus worse (P=.001). There is not enough evidence from responses to show if in-person visits provided greater quality of care in contrast to telemedicine visits (Questions 7 & 10, P=.16). Overall, responses showed patients are more likely to utilize telemedicine visits in the future (P=.006).

Research Conclusions on Impact on Health Centers: Responses demonstrated that patients who utilized telemedicine visits between July 2020 and December 2020 felt there was equal quality of care provided compared to in-person visits. A majority of patients expressed interest in continuing to utilize telemedicine in the future for diabetes follow-up visits. These results show the practicality and utilizability of telemedicine for the future management of patients with diabetes. This quality improvement project can be modeled by other clinics interested in assessing satisfaction with their telemedicine services.

Authors:

Nihaal Shah, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Courtney Alakan, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Brandon Poppe, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Jennifer Concepcion, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Charissa Greggory, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Ellis Kaufmann, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Michaela LaCorte, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Marissa Meyer, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Ashley Oalickal, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Trevor Swanson, OMS-II, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Christopher Dixon, DO, Regional Director, Medical Education, A T Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Ray Wagner, MD, MS, FAAP, Regional Director, Medical Education, A T Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Ruth Garcia, Regional Director, Medical Education, A.T. Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona

Kate Whelihan, MPH, CPH, COPC and Public Health Research Specialist, Department of Public Health, A T Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine

Joy H. Lewis, DO, PhD, FACP, Professor, Medicine and Public Health Chair, SOMA Dept. of Public Health, A T Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine