Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Scores for Adherence to Components of Diabetes Guidelines According to Use of Diabetes Flow Sheets (N = 1,016 Patients)
Guideline Component Flow Sheets Used (n=234) Flow Sheets Not Used (n=782) P Valuea Effect Sizeb Note: Values are expressed as mean (SD) scores on scales from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate better adherence, and are adjusted for use of electronic medical records, practice owner, and number of clinicians in the practice. a P value for generalized linear model parameter estimate. b Calculated using the Cohen d statistic with a pooled standard deviation. Assessment 55.38 (24.64) 50.13 (24.99) .02 0.212 Treatment 79.59 (24.35) 74.71 (26.16) .004 0.042 Target attainment 43.15 (29.31) 40.76 (29.61) .32 0.081
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Background Flow sheets (forms in the medical record with information about a patient's specific medical condition and a reminder that care is needed) can improve patient care. This study examines how often flow sheets are used to guide diabetes care and the effectiveness of diabetes flow sheets for improving patient care results.
What This Study Found Diabetes flow sheets were used in 23% of medical records of patients with diabetes. Use of diabetes flow sheets is associated with meeting recommended guidelines of the National Diabetes Education Program for diabetes assessment and treatment, but not for achieving intermediate target results for diabetes patients.
Implications
- Diabetes flow sheets can help meet guideline recommendations for assessing and treating diabetes.
- Additional research is needed to explore factors that influence the relationship between diabetes flow sheets and intermediate outcome targets for people with diabetes.
