Diabetes Care

Research Findings

Research Activities, August 2008:
New Spanish-language consumer guide compares oral diabetes medications
Studies elaborate on the potential use of health information technology to improve care delivery
Individuals with more depressive symptoms are more likely to benefit from training in chronic illness self-management

Research Activities, June 2008:
Patient factors, not physician or clinic factors, account for most of the variance in blood sugar levels among adults with diabetes
A collaborative approach to diabetes care in community health centers can cost-effectively improve that care

Research Activities, May 2008:
New pill card helps patients take medications on time
Studies examine disease self-management and quality of life of individuals with multiple chronic illnesses
Patients with diabetes have better glucose control when they receive care at primary care clinics that adhere to the chronic care model
Health improves when previously uninsured adults become eligible for Medicare

Research Activities, April 2008:
State spending on parks and recreation and required physical education classes are linked to youth activity
Work-sponsored weight management programs offer losses for employees and gains for employers
Life challenges, not discharge problems, cause repeat hospitalizations

Research Activities, March 2008:
Patients with diabetes and depression tend to skip self-care behaviors that would help keep their diabetes in check

Research Activities, January 2008:
A computer-based intravenous protocol can improve glycemic control in surgical ICU patients
Following recommended guidelines to manage cardiovascular disease improves patient outcomes
Two new guides summarize the effectiveness and safety of oral diabetes medications

Research Activities, December 2007:
Common medications provide equal blood pressure control
Use of simple clinical information systems can improve outcomes of patients with diabetes
Primary care practices face competing demands, not clinical inertia, in providing quality care to patients with diabetes
Severe food insecurity among low-income adults is linked to an increased rate of diabetes

Research Activities, November 2007:
A skin condition may identify young patients at risk for developing type 2 diabetes
Postdischarge care management that integrates medical and social care can improve outcomes of the low-income elderly
Cancer and other chronic conditions affect patients' lives differently during various phases of care
California Medicaid managed care plans would like to increase chronic disease care management programs
Patients who were uninsured use more medical services once they enroll in Medicare

Research Activities, October 2007:
Researchers examine link between trauma and alcohol problems as well as cardiovascular risk factors among American Indians
Black, Hispanic, and white patients with diabetes differ in performance of self-care behaviors to manage their disease
Elderly blacks' higher hospitalization rates for certain conditions suggest worse quality of outpatient care
One-third of patients with acute coronary syndrome and diabetes do not have their blood sugar assessed before hospital discharge

Research Activities, September 2007:
Women in Medicare and private managed care plans receive worse care than men for cardiovascular disease and diabetes
A multipronged quality improvement strategy can markedly improve the quality of diabetes care and patient outcomes
Physicians have positive attitudes about pay-for-quality programs, but are ambivalent about certain program features

Research Activities, July 2007:
While most diabetes drugs provide similar glucose control, some offer important advantages
Greater access to physician services may narrow mortality differences among the black and white elderly

Research Activities, June 2007:
Better outpatient care processes can improve the quality of life for patients with chronic disease
Risk factors can help predict which patients with hospital-acquired urinary tract infections will develop blood infections

Research Activities, April 2007:
Community health centers provide poorer quality of care to the uninsured with chronic disease
Diabetes increases the risk of dying for patents with suspected acute coronary syndrome
Blood-sugar levels rise with age, even among people without diabetes

Research Activities, March 2007:
Specific primary care office systems and quality improvement strategies may substantially affect the cost of diabetes care

Research Activities, February 2007:
Physician, patient, and pharmacy outreach reminders can improve recommended laboratory monitoring for certain medications
Racial disparities in care vary widely among Medicare health plans and are only weakly correlated with overall quality of care
Simultaneous control of risk factors for diabetes complications is difficult to achieve
A protocol for adjusting diabetes medications can improve diabetes management and patient blood-sugar levels

Research Activities, January 2007:
Missed opportunities: Too few Americans are being screened or counseled to prevent colorectal cancer, obesity, and other conditions
Trust in medical care does not differ by race among indigent people with diabetes, but more trust can improve their quality of life
Mandating more time in school PE classes may not increase exercise or weight loss among American children
Depression worsens the health and quality of life of people with diabetes
Most quality improvement strategies produce only small to modest improvements in glycemic control among patients with diabetes
Women are more likely than men to suffer health problems and worse quality of life due to obesity

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Research Activities, December 2006:
The cost of treating diabetes surges

Research Activities, November 2006:
Providing free blood glucose monitors to patients with diabetes initially encourages self-management, especially among blacks
A continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring system can safely lower blood sugar levels of children with type 1 diabetes

Research Activities, October 2006:
Prescription drug benefits limits for Medicare beneficiaries are associated with less use of prescription drugs, worse clinical outcomes, and higher hospitalization costs
Patients with more chronic conditions increase hospital costs

Research Activities, September 2006:
Diabetes screening practices in children vary widely among pediatric clinicians

Research Activities, August 2006:
Modifying unhealthy habits in middle age may reduce the likelihood of nursing home admissions later in life
Only half of older people with diabetes receive ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers to prevent cardiac problems

Research Activities, July 2006:
Treatment of black adults with diabetes and depression insured through Medicaid raises quality concerns
Primary care of patients with type 2 diabetes can be improved
Some adults with diabetes face high health care expenditures

Research Activities, June 2006:
Limited health care access impairs blood sugar control among low-income urban blacks with type 2 diabetes
A year after leaving jail, half of women lack health insurance or use primary care
Interventions for primary care providers improve management of diabetes

Research Activities, May 2006
Ethnicity, age, and living arrangements affect the use of assistive devices by people with impaired mobility
Researchers examine gender disparities in the quality of preventive care and management of heart disease and diabetes
Study examines national trends in the costs of bariatric surgery
Business coalitions join AHRQ to improve the quality of diabetes care

Research Activities, April 2006
Studies examine ways to improve the quality of diabetes care

Research Activities, March 2006
AHRQ's Quality Indicators can be used as a screening tool to identify potential quality of care problems
Fewer visits to the doctor contribute to the higher mortality rates among black Medicare patients in Tennessee

Research Activities, February 2006:
A surgery management protocol helps children with diabetes prepare for surgery
Changes in the delivery of care are needed to reduce the burden of diabetes among ethnic minorities
More Latinos than whites die before age 45 due to higher rates of diabetes, HIV, liver disease, and homicide
Patients who suffer from both diabetes and depression have a higher risk of dying
People with diabetes take less diabetes medication when costs increase

Research Activities, January 2006:
Individual characteristics, complications, and treatments influence quality of life among adults with diabetes

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Research Activities, December 2005:
Studies examine barriers to self-management for patients with chronic illness and interventions that improve care
Black women are more likely than other women to have pregnancy and childbirth complications
Computer kiosks help patients with diabetes and low literacy skills understand their susceptibility to complications
Clinical inertia in primary care contributes to poor diabetes control

Research Activities, November 2005:
Low-dose insulin does not affect weight or physical development of children at risk for developing type 1 diabetes
Black and Hispanic patients are more likely to be readmitted to hospitals for complications associated with diabetes

Research Activities, October 2005:
Studies examine diabetes hospitalizations and death, diabetes self-management outcomes, and undiagnosed diabetes
Keeping more medical appointments and taking medication as directed helps patients with diabetes control blood sugar levels
Primary care programs with certain characteristics are more likely to help patients improve diabetes control

Research Activities, September 2005:
Increased use of ACE inhibitors for elderly people with diabetes could improve outcomes and save money
Training clinicians to support the autonomy of patients with diabetes may help improve outcomes

Research Activities, August 2005:
Medical disparities for elderly Medicare beneficiaries are narrowing
Estrogen therapy with progestin has higher discontinuation rates in women with diabetes and cardiovascular disease
It will be difficult to achieve strict cholesterol goals in many patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Research Activities, May 2005:
Patients like access to their electronic medical record and E-mailing their doctor, but doctors still prefer the telephone
Medicaid policies and other local factors may affect disparities in use of diabetes-related health care services

Research Activities, April 2005:
SPECT imaging with Tc-99m sestamibi can improve ED triage of diabetes patients with suspected cardiac ischemia
Leisure-time exercise, which helps control diabetes, is low among all diabetes patients, particularly black women

Research Activities, March 2005:
Preventing diabetes complications could save $2.5 billion annually
Women 65 and older used more medications and spent more for them than same-age men during the period 1999 to 2001

Research Activities, February 2005:
People with diabetes who have chronic hyperglycemia are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease

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Research Activities, December 2004:
Diabetes-specific knowledge is associated with performance of self-management activities but not with outpatient care

Research Activities, November 2004:
Blacks with diabetes are no more likely to be depressed than other blacks, but those with both problems use more health care

Research Activities, October 2004:
Researchers examine use of emergency care and depression-related disability among adults with diabetes
Computerized information systems prompt monitoring tests and medication adjustment that can improve diabetes care and outcomes
Very little of the variation in quality of diabetes care is explained by practice factors

Research Activities, September 2004:
Many diabetes patients at high risk for kidney failure are not receiving medication to slow its development
Interference of diabetes with social activities may be an early warning sign of subsequent disability
Certain biological factors that may represent insulin resistance are associated with a decline in physical functioning

Research Activities, July 2004:
Researchers focus on primary care for diabetes and use of a rapid-turnaround test to measure blood glucose
Individuals who suffer from both major depression and diabetes function worse than those with either illness alone
Screening people with hypertension for diabetes is more cost effective than screening all patients for diabetes

Research Activities, June 2004
Researchers examine the impact of medication costs and mental health care for patients with diabetes
People with diabetes do a better job of managing their disease when HMOs cover diabetes self-monitoring devices

Research Activities, March 2004:
Certain oral blood-sugar-lowering drugs may increase the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes
Inconsistent use of medications by elderly Mexican Americans with diabetes may explain their greater risk of some complications

Research Activities, February 2004:
Better communication of disease-specific and general health information can improve diabetes self-care

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