Community diabetes nurse specialists: service evaluation to describe their professional role

Diabetes Management and the Role of the Community Nurse: a Holistic Perspective

Nearly 5 million people are now living with diabetes in the UK, with many receiving treatment and management in the community. With their unique and intimate insight into patients' lives, the community nurse is well-placed to offer support, education and advocacy to those who might be struggling to manage their condition. Francesca Ramadan explores the multiple ways in which a community nurse might facilitate a preventative, holistic and personalised approach to diabetes treatment and management.

Impact of pharmacotherapeutic education on medication adherence and adverse outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective, randomized study

AIM

To evaluate the impact of pharmacotherapeutic education on 30-day post-discharge medication adherence and adverse outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

The prospective, randomized, single-center study was conducted at the Medical Department of University Hospital Dubrava, Zagreb, between April and June 2018. One hundred and thirty adult patients with T2DM who were discharged to the community were randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. Both groups during the hospital stay received the usual diabetes education. The intervention group received additional individual pre-discharge pharmacotherapeutic education about the discharge prescriptions. Medication adherence and occurrence of adverse outcomes (adverse drug reactions, readmission, emergency department visits, and death) were assessed at the follow-up visit, 30 days after discharge.

RESULTS

The number of adherent patients was significantly higher in the intervention group (57/64 [89.9%] vs 41/61 [67.2%]; χ2 test, P=0.003]. There was no significant difference between the groups in the number of patients who experienced adverse outcomes (31/64 [48.4%] vs 36/61 [59.0%]; χ2 test, P=0.236). However, higher frequencies of all adverse outcomes were consistently observed in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacotherapeutic education of patients with T2DM can significantly improve 30-day post-discharge medication adherence, without a significant reduction in adverse clinical outcomes. ClinicalTrial.gov identification number: NCT03438162.