The Results of Virtual Diabetic "Boot Camp"

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The use of telemedicine exponentially increased during the COVID-pandemic as it provided easier access as well as the provision of safety via social distancing. A 12-week intense telemedicine diabetic Bootcamp was therefore launched for patients with uncontrolled DM intended for high-quality outpatient diabetic care. Methods: Patients with DM seen at ambulatory clinics with HbA1c > 8.0%, were voluntarily enrolled from September 2020 to November 2021. The dietitians and diabetic educators conducted biweekly visits via telehealth. Patient demographics, HbA1c, BMI, BP were compared before and after the intervention. Results: A total of 134 patients were included for analysis and 94 patients (70.2%) completed the visits. Mean HbA1c change was -2.09% ± 2.4%, and HbA1c reduction was similarly observed across different age groups, gender, ethnicity, BMI, referred clinic types [Table 1]. A greater HbA1c reduction in patients who completed the visits was noted although it was not statistically significant. We found a negative correlation between the initial HbA1c and the change of HbA1c (coefficient -0.7709, p<0.0001, r2= 0.3899) . No significant BMI or MAP change was observed. Conclusions: This quality improvement project demonstrated an improvement in HbA1c for all poorly controlled diabetic patients, regardless of patient characteristics. Moreover, higher initial HbA1c was associated with a greater HbA1c reduction.