Group versus Individual Care in Patients with Long-Standing Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: A One-Year Prospective Noninferiority Study in a Tertiary Diabetes Clinic

AIMS: To explore the feasibility and noninferiority of group care in a diabetes outpatient clinic in comparison with individual care. METHODS: In this prospective, randomized, nonblinded, one center (university hospital) trial, 60 patients (28 with type 1 and 32 with type 2 diabetes) with a mean duration of diabetes of 22.5 ± 11.7 years were randomly assigned to group (6 patients per group) or individual care for one year. The primary endpoints were the change in HbA1c and visits to outpatient clinics. The secondary endpoints were changes in body mass index, blood pressure levels, waist circumference, non-HDL cholesterol, diabetes-related and well-being index questionnaires, and the number of hospitalizations. RESULTS: Group care was not inferior to individual care for any of the above parameters except for the number of visits to a primary care physician. CONCLUSION: Group care is feasible in a diabetes clinic and is as effective as individual care. Implementation of group care may facilitate access to specialized care to a larger population of patients with diabetes type 1 and 2.