ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Clinical care for type 2 diabetes has improved but remains suboptimal. Collaborative, team-based models that maximize skills of different disciplines may improve care for individuals with diabetes, but few have been tested using rigorous research designs. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of a registered dietitian nutritionist-led telemedicine program compared with that of a control group in terms of diabetes optimal care goals. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial in which participants were assigned to a control or intervention group. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: One hundred eighteen adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age, 60 years; 45% female) participated in the study between April 2016 and December 2017. Participants were recruited from separate primary care clinics in two rural Minnesota communities. INTERVENTION: For those assigned to the intervention, registered dietitian nutritionists used a treatment protocol to initiate and titrate therapies for blood glucose, hypertension, and lipid levels in addition to providing medical nutrition therapy; telemedicine visits supplemented usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included composite and individual diabetes optimal care goals: hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, not using tobacco, and taking a statin and aspirin (as appropriate). Secondary measures included physical activity, breakfast, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein, and medication adherence. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Mixed-model regression was used to examine outcomes between baseline and 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: A modest but significantly greater improvement in the number of diabetes optimal care measures met at follow-up was found in the intervention group (3.7 vs 3.2 in the control group [P=0.017]). Among individual measures, the intervention group had significantly greater medication use, with 2.5 and 2.2 higher odds (compared with the control group) of taking a statin [95% CI, 1.0 to 6.24]) and aspirin [95% CI, 0.90 to 5.19] as appropriate, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ENHANCED (diEtitiaNs Helping pAtieNts CarE for Diabetes) findings suggest that registered dietitian nutritionists following medication treatment protocols can effectively improve care for adults with type 2 diabetes and can serve an instrumental role as part of the health care team in providing evidence-based, patient-centered care.
