Feasibility of Diabetes Self-Management Telehealth Education for Older Adults During Transitions in Care.
Christina R Whitehouse, Judith A Long, Lori McLeer Maloney and 3 others
PMID 31834415WHAT IT FOUND
Telehealth diabetes education after hospital discharge was feasible for older adults.
Knowledge improved significantly, but blood sugar control did not change enough to be sure the effect was real. Most who started the program completed it.
Key findings
01Of the 20 patients enrolled, 12 (60%) completed the intervention, and all 12 who started the sessions completed four or more.
02For the 12 patients who completed the program, general diabetes knowledge significantly improved from 63 to 78, and insulin knowledge improved from 61 to 81.
03A1C level improved from 9.5% to 8.5%, but this change was not statistically significant.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study had a small sample size of 20 patients, limiting the reliability of the findings. There was no comparison group, so it is unknown whether outcomes would have improved without the intervention. Many participants received concurrent home health care, which could have contributed to improved outcomes independently of the telehealth education. Attrition was high (40%), partly because some patients were discharged to skilled nursing facilities rather than home. The study was conducted at a single academic medical center, so results may not generalize to other settings.
Declared interests
The authors disclosed no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the telehealth program caused the reduction in A1C levels. The change was not statistically significant, and many participants received concurrent home health care, which could have influenced blood sugar control.