Shared Medical Visits for Spanish-speaking Patients With Type 2 Diabetes (SMV)

The investigators seek to apply a shared medical visit model and interdisciplinary approach to Spanish-speaking patients. The investigators will evaluate the patient's hemoglobin A1c as a marker of glycemic control and evaluate their mood with PHQ screening tools. The investigators seek to improve diabetes care for this group of underserved patients. Potential participants will be selected from the UNMC diabetes registry. Eligibility criteria includes adult patients over the age of eighteen years old with Type 2 diabetes, HgbA1c greater than 8%, whose preferred language is Spanish. Exclusion criteria include pregnancy, residency at a nursing home or other facility, substance abuse, and physician recommendation that study is not appropriate for the patient.

Type 2 diabetes is an expanding epidemic, which is particularly pervasive in the Hispanic community. In 2014, the CDC reported that 21.9 million adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, a number which has nearly quadrupled since 1980. Diabetes is a particularly challenging chronic disease due to the need for self-management. This research study plans to explore how shared medical visits with Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes can improve their control of diabetes, develop self-management behaviors, and enhance overall perspective of having a chronic disease. The investigators will model this project after an ongoing with English speakers and they have demonstrated improvements in hemoglobin A1c levels and quality of life, and will now apply this model to Spanish-speaking patients. Eligibility and exclusion criteria are detailed in the brief summary. Eligible participants will be recruited for the study through use of phone call in Spanish, letter writing in Spanish, word of mouth, and direct referral from their providers throughout UNMC. Once the list of potential subjects is compiled, those patients will be contacted and the details of the study will be explained in Spanish. All the participating staff in the study speak Spanish. The participants, at any time, can withdraw from the study. Participants will receive education in diabetes health and lifestyle education. This will be a quantitative study using pre- and post-intervention measures to evaluate the outcomes of HgbA1c levels, scores on the validated 2-item and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaires (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9), and questionnaire which measures improvements in self-management behaviors. Researchers will to follow-up with the participants in the week following the visit to discuss lab results. At the end of the study, researcher will send a detailed letter to the patient's primary care provider regarding progress and management in shared medical visits.

All patients will be enrolled in the experimental group and will be involved in shared medical visits.

The Shared Medical Visits are a replacement for standard diabetic visits with PCP, and will occur completely in Spanish, the patients' preferred primary language. An interdisciplinary group including behavioral health, social work, pharmacy, MD, and diabetic educator will be involved in the visit. The focal point of the meeting is a 30 minute session in which all members are seated around a large table in the Midtown SMV area and each patient's blood sugars, labs, and medications are discussed in front of the entire group. Pertinent labs and vaccines are drawn/administered.

See improvement in self care behaviors as defined by American Association of Diabetes Educators1: healthy eating, being active, monitoring, taking medication, problem solving, reducing risks, and healthy coping

Identify barriers to care for Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes, which are specific to this minority group, in order to improve care of this specific population.

Urine microalbumin/creatinine ratio, low density lipoprotein, yearly dilated eye exam, yearly flu shot, and yearly diabetic foot exam.

Evaluate change in the overall mood of patients with diabetes, as measured by reduced scores on the validated depression screening assessments. Each patient will always be administered the PHQ-2, a 2 question survey, and if they screen positive for depression on that they will be administered a PHQ-9, 9 question depression screening tool.

Inclusion Criteria: Adult patients over the age of eighteen years old with Type 2 diabetes HgbA1c greater than 8% Preferred language is Spanish Exclusion Criteria: Pregnancy Residency at a nursing home or other facility Substance abuse Physician recommendation that study is not appropriate for the patient

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