Patients and Care Providers Perspectives and Experience With Decision Aid Tool for Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose
Condition: Type 2 Diabetes
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Putting the limited use of titration algorithms in the context of escalating diabetes
      prevalence rates, strategies and tools are urgently needed to help both patients and primary
      care providers efficiently initiate and continue basal insulin therapy. Basel insulin is
      considered to be the appropriate strategy after oral diabetic agent failure. This project
      could set the stage for the need for a blood glucose meter with built-in algorithms designed
      to support decision making by patients as well as care providers. Furthermore, the project
      will evaluate the uptake and use of the newly developed Meter by Abbott Diabetes Care, which
      was launched in Canada in October 2014, and its impact on primary care diabetes consultation.
    

Detailed description: 
      The objectives of this study are to

        1. Describe patients' and care providers' satisfaction associated with the use of the
           FreeStyle Precision Neo-Meter

        2. Evaluate the uptake and use of the Meter

        3. Describe the impact of the Meter on primary care diabetes consultation from care
           providers' perspectives.

      In order to achieve the objectives of this study, diabetes healthcare providers and people
      with type 2 diabetes who have been using the Neo meter will be interviewed. Maximum
      variability will be sought for provider discipline and patient demographic characteristics.
      Sampling will continue until theme saturation is reached. A total of up to 20 (10 care
      providers and 10 people with diabetes) will be interviewed for this study.

      Diabetes healthcare provider interview: Two care providers from each discipline including
      physicians, nurses, nurse educators and dietitians in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, who have
      been using the Neo meter will be recruited for interviews. Care providers satisfaction will
      be assessed after the use of the Meter with sample representation of sole and team based
      practices.

      Patient interviews: Eligible patients who agreed to participate in the study will be provided
      with a Neo meter and test strips. Their care providers will provide them with instructions,
      guidance and support in using the device as part of their self-management activities.
      Patients will be interviewed 3 months after (post only) the use of the Meter to assess their
      satisfaction with its functionality, capacity, design and ease-of-use.

      Interviews will take place at a location and time convenient for participants and will take
      approximately 45min-60min in Oct/Nov 2015. Interviews will be audio tape recorded to allow
      for a fluid discussion such that the interviewer does not need to stop the conversation to
      take notes. A letter of information and consent form will be provided to participants.
    

Intervention name(s): FreeStyle Precision Neo-Meter
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): Participants will receive a free glucose meter (Neo) and test strips from their care providers with education and instructions on how to use the meter to monitor their glucose level. Three months after the start of using the meter, participants will be interviewed on their experiences, likes and dislikes about the meter.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment