Evaluation of a short, interactive diabetes self-management program by pharmacists for type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: Numerous barriers prevent patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from completing a diabetes self-management program. We investigated whether patients with T2D exhibited improved clinical outcomes after attending a relatively short, interactive diabetes self-management program conducted by pharmacist diabetes educators, compared to a physician’s usual care. RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of adults with T2D who attended a diabetes self-management program (≥ 1 group meeting or individual appointment followed by a telephone interview from a pharmacist diabetes educator between May 2010 and Dec. 2012; n = 513) and compared their outcomes with those of T2D patients who received only their physician’s usual care (n = 857). Each patient’s A1C was assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months post-intervention. The mean [SD] reduction in A1C percentage points in the T2D patients was significantly greater in the diabetes self-management program group compared to the physician’s usual care group at both 3 months (− 0.8% [1.5] vs. − 0.2% [0.9], p < 0.001) and 6 months post-intervention (− 0.6% [1.3] vs. − 0.2% [1.1], p < 0.001). T2D patients significantly improved their glycemic control within 3–6 months of attending the diabetes self-management program compared to patients who only received their physician’s usual care.