The effect on patient outcomes remained less clear as these were rarely assessed .
Arrangements for follow-up ( organisational intervention ) also showed a favourable effect on process outcomes .
Multiple interventions in which patient education was added or in which the role of the nurse was enhanced also reported favourable effects on patients ' health outcomes .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Multifaceted professional interventions can enhance the performance of health professionals in managing patients with diabetes .
Organisational interventions that improve regular prompted recall and review of patients ( central computerised tracking systems or nurses who regularly contact the patient ) can also improve diabetes management .
The addition of patient-oriented interventions can lead to improved patient health outcomes .
BACKGROUND Diabetes is a common chronic disease that is increasingly managed in primary care .
Different systems have been proposed to manage diabetes care .
Improved care of patients with diabetes through telecommunications.
This project tested the importance of enhanced information transfer of home monitoring results to health care providers . The study tested whether computer-assisted communication of medical information between the chronic care patient and the physician can result in health care benefit . The information tools were constructed/adapted as a test of this hypothesis for diabetes mellitus . Patients connected a glucometer to an intelligent modem weekly for six to nine months . Graphical and mathematical tools extracted and emphasized the information content of the home monitoring data arriving at the central site . Data smoothing , trend analysis , and calculation of quality control statistics were incorporated into a graphical time series oriented report that was used by the health care provider during an outpatient visit . The integrated home monitoring system was tested on 20 patients with diabetes in a double cross-over design over a 15-month period . A significant improvement in serum glucose control as measured by glycated hemoglobin was shown in the study group , but not in the control group
The effect on patient outcomes remained less clear as these were rarely assessed .
Arrangements for follow-up ( organisational intervention ) also showed a favourable effect on process outcomes .
Multiple interventions in which patient education was added or in which the role of the nurse was enhanced also reported favourable effects on patients ' health outcomes .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS Multifaceted professional interventions can enhance the performance of health professionals in managing patients with diabetes .
Organisational interventions that improve regular prompted recall and review of patients ( central computerised tracking systems or nurses who regularly contact the patient ) can also improve diabetes management .
The addition of patient-oriented interventions can lead to improved patient health outcomes .
BACKGROUND Diabetes is a common chronic disease that is increasingly managed in primary care .
Different systems have been proposed to manage diabetes care .