Subgroup analyses suggested that organisational interventions and interventions on those with baseline HbA1c over 9.5 % had better improvements in HbA1c .
Interventions had a modest improvement of blood pressure and lipids , although baseline levels of control were generally good .
Conclusions This review suggests that interventions for T2DM , in primary care , are better targeted at individuals with very poor glycaemic control and that organisational interventions may be more effective
Objectives Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM ) is a major international health problem .
Medical Clinics Versus Usual Care for Patients With Both Diabetes and Hypertension
BACKGROUND Group medical clinics ( GMCs ) are widely used in the management of diabetes and hypertension , but data on their effectiveness are limited . OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness of GMCs in the management of comorbid diabetes and hypertension . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . ( Clinical Trials.gov registration number : NCT00286741 ) SETTING 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in North Carolina and Virginia . PATIENTS 239 patients with poorly controlled diabetes ( hemoglobin A(1c ) [ HbA(1c ) ] level > or = 7.5 % ) and hypertension ( systolic blood pressure > 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg ) . INTERVENTION Patients were r and omly assigned within each center to either attend a GMC or receive usual care . Clinics comprised 7 to 8 patients and a care team that consisted of a primary care general internist , a pharmacist , and a nurse or other certified diabetes educator . Each session included structured group interactions moderated by the educator . The pharmacist and physician adjusted medication to manage each patient 's HbA(1c ) level and blood pressure . MEASUREMENTS Hemoglobin A(1c ) level and systolic blood pressure , measured by blinded research personnel at baseline , study midpoint ( median , 6.8 months ) , and study completion ( median follow-up , 12.8 months ) . Linear mixed models , adjusted for clustering within GMCs , were used to compare HbA(1c ) levels and systolic blood pressure between the intervention and control groups . RESULTS Mean baseline systolic blood pressure and HbA(1c ) level were 152.9 mm Hg ( SD , 14.2 ) and 9.2 % ( SD , 1.4 ) , respectively . At the end of the study , mean systolic blood pressure improved by 13.7 mm Hg in the GMC group and 6.4 mm Hg in the usual care group ( P = 0.011 by linear mixed model ) , whereas mean HbA(1c ) level improved by 0.8 % in the GMC group and 0.5 % in the usual care group ( P = 0.159 ) . LIMITATION Measurements of effectiveness may have been limited by concomitant improvements in the usual care group that were due to co-intervention . CONCLUSION Group medical clinics are a potent strategy for improving blood pressure but not HbA(1c ) level in diabetic patients . PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service
Subgroup analyses suggested that organisational interventions and interventions on those with baseline HbA1c over 9.5 % had better improvements in HbA1c .
Interventions had a modest improvement of blood pressure and lipids , although baseline levels of control were generally good .
Conclusions This review suggests that interventions for T2DM , in primary care , are better targeted at individuals with very poor glycaemic control and that organisational interventions may be more effective
Objectives Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus ( T2DM ) is a major international health problem .