The impact of patient navigation on glycemic control, adherence to self-care and knowledge about diabetes: an intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Patient navigation helps with better adherence to treatment, as well as better knowledge about diabetes and greater interest in performing, monitoring, and seeking health care. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of patient navigation on glycemic control, disease knowledge, adherence to self-care in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: This is an intervention study using a single group pre-test post-test design, carried out in a tertiary public teaching hospital in Southern Brazil. Participants over 18 years of age and diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were included. In total, three teleconsultations and one face-to-face consultation were carried out, with three-month intervals, until completing one year of follow-up. The nurse navigator conducted diabetes education based on the guidelines of the Brazilian Diabetes Society and the Nursing Interventions Classification. The differences between glycated hemoglobin, adherence to self-care, and knowledge about initial and final diabetes were estimated to verify the effect of patient navigation by nurses, according to the tool applied in the first and last consultations. Interaction analyses between variables were also performed. Student's t-test, Generalized Estimating Equations, Wilcoxon test, and McNemar test were used. RESULTS: The final sample consisted of 152 participants, of which 85 (55.9%) were women, with a mean age of 45 ± 12 years, and diabetes duration of 23.6 ± 11.1 years. Nurse navigators conducted 812 teleconsultations and 158 face-to-face consultations. After the intervention, glycemic control improved in 37 (24.3%) participants (p < 0.001), and knowledge about diabetes also improved in 37 (24.3%) participants (p < 0.001). Adherence to self-care increased in 82 (53.9%) patients (p < 0.001). The analysis of the interaction between glycemic control and the results from the questionnaire of knowledge about diabetes showed an interaction effect (p = 0.005). However, we observed no interaction effect between glycemic control and the results from the questionnaire on adherence to self-care (p = 0.706). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed improvement in glycemic control, adherence to self-care, and knowledge of diabetes in the study participants. In addition, they suggest that patient navigation performed by nurses is promising and feasible in improving care for patients with type 1 diabetes.

Knowledge about diabetes and its association with adherence to self-care and glycemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes in Southern Brazil.

Objective: To evaluate the association between knowledge about the disease, adherence to self-care, and glycemic control in people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study of patients aged over 18 years diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus, treated at an outpatient clinic of a Brazilian university hospital. Participants with other types of diabetes, cognitive impairment, pregnancy, and outpatient discharge were excluded. Data were collected from January to March 2021 (by telephone call), with questions about the participants' profile, diabetes knowledge questionnaire (DKN-A), and self-care inventory revised (SCI-R) translated into and adapted for Brazilian Portuguese. Data analysis involved chi-square associations, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Poisson regression. Results: Among 198 adult participants, the mean age was 42 ± 12 years, 53.5% were women, the mean glycated hemoglobin was 8.6 ± 1.6%, 140 (70.8%) had satisfactory knowledge about diabetes, 65 (32.8%) had adherence to self-care, and 46 (23.2%) had adequate glycemic control. We found an association between knowledge and adherence to self-care (p < 0.001). Knowledge was not associated with glycemic control (p = 0.705). Conclusion: Knowledge about diabetes was associated with greater adherence to self-care in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus, but it did not reflect in better glycemic control.

Quality of care in patients with type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cohort study from Southern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Optimal glycemic control is the main goal for patients with diabetes. The results of type 1 diabetes patients' neglected demands during the pandemic can determine a long-term negative clinical, social, and economic impact, and result in worse diabetes control and a higher incidence of chronic complications. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in the quality of care of patients with type 1 diabetes in Southern Brazil. METHODS: Cohort study based on electronic medical records of patients with type 1 diabetes, with scheduled appointments between January 1st 2020, and November 6th 2020, at a university public hospital. The quality indicators used were: assessment of albuminuria and/or serum creatinine, lipid profile, thyroid-stimulating hormone, glycated hemoglobin, retinopathy, and neuropathy. McNemar test was used to analyze categorical variables and the Wilcoxon test for continuous variables. RESULTS: Out of 289 patients, 49.5% were women aged 40 ± 12 years old. During the pandemic, 252 patients had at least one face-to-face appointment canceled. The quality of care indicators showed a significant worsening during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous year (p < 0.001). In 2019, 23.2% of the participants had all the indicators evaluated, while in 2020, during the pandemic, only 3.5% had all of them evaluated. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic hindered the offer of comprehensive and quality care to patients with type 1 diabetes.