Evaluation of the effect of a diabetes management program on continuity of care in Shanghai.
Published: 2005
Language: eng
Number of pages: 224
Description: Results. The questionnaire demonstrated strong reliability and validity. Factor analysis provided a satisfactory explanation of the hypothesized scale-domain construct. Patients in the intervention group demonstrated a significantly higher level of continuity of care and showed significant improvement in scores of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to healthy diet. More than 70% of participants had attained their dietary goals by the end of this study. Patients in the intervention group had significantly reduced their weight, fasting blood glucose and systolic blood pressure compared with patients in the control group (p &lt; 0.05). Hierarchical regression models showed that continuity of care had a significant association with weight loss and fasting blood glucose reduction in the intervention group.Background. In December 2002, a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Shanghai launched a diabetes management program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, which involved diabetes education for doctors and patients and health counselling to promote an individualized diet therapy.Objective. To evaluate the effects of a diabetes management program on continuity of care and health outcomes in a primary care setting in Shanghai, China.Methods. The study was a prospective case study with a selected comparable control CHC. The intervention and control CHCs had 156 and 182 patients, respectively. Participants were elders without serious diabetes complications. Continuity of care is defined based on agency theory and acts as the theoretical framework. A modified and translated questionnaire was employed to measure patients' evaluation of their primary doctors. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from in-depth interviews, surveys, patient dietary records and outpatient charts.Conclusions. The study demonstrated the program's effectiveness on processes and outcomes of diabetes care. Continuity of care can be defined as a multi-dimensional concept that can be measured by the questionnaire. Furthermore, continuity of care can act as an important management tool to improve the quality of primary care in Shanghai and similar urban jurisdictions worldwide.
Notes: Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2005.

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Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: B, page: 3094.