Effect of Diabetes Education During Retinal Ophthalmology Visits on Diabetes Control

• Change in HbA1c [ Time Frame: 12 Months ]
  Mean change in HbA1c from baseline to 12 months in intervention versus control for study participants being seen for standard care more frequently than every 12 months
  
  

• Diabetes Care Knowledge [ Time Frame: 12 Months/24 Months ]
  At baseline and at annual visits, study participants in all treatment groups will complete self-assessment questionnaires in order to assess perception of emotional problems frequently reported in type 1 and type 2 diabetes and to measure perceived adherence to diabetes self-care recommendations. At the annual visits, summary statistics will be presented on the responses as appropriate to the distribution and the treatment groups will be compared controlling for baseline responses.
  
  
• Blood Pressure [ Time Frame: 12 Months/24 Months ]
  For analyses, systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be converted to an overall mean blood pressure according to the following calculation: diastolic blood pressure + 1/3 (systolic blood pressure - diastolic blood pressure). Blood pressure will be analyzed as the change in the weighted mean blood pressure from baseline to 12 months adjusted for the baseline weighted mean blood pressure. Treatment group comparisons will be made using ANCOVA to adjust for the baseline blood pressure, with GEE to adjust for the correlation within subjects of the same cluster.
  
  
• Body Mass Index [ Time Frame: 12 Months/24 Months ]
  Treatment group comparisons will be made using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to adjust for the baseline HbA1c, with generalized estimating equations (GEE) to adjust for the correlation within subjects of the same randomization cluster.
  
  

Although each patient with diabetes should be receiving diabetic education as part of their on-going routine medical care, it is likely that such education is delivered with different details and intensity. Motivating a patient with diabetes to become involved in his or her care is of primary importance in achieving better systemic control.

Ocular complications from diabetes remain the most common cause of blindness among American adults 20-74 years of age. A recent survey reported that loss of vision is the most feared of all diabetic complications. Thus, it is possible that an educational intervention at an ophthalmology office may have additional impact beyond the current standard of diabetes education at a primary care or diabetologist/endocrinologist office alone. This study will determine whether diabetes education in the ophthalmology office (which includes same-visit feedback of HbA1c levels, combined with standardized education regarding same-visit blood pressure, retinopathy status and overall diabetes education) can improve subsequent HbA1c as compared with current standard care in an ophthalmology office.

Materials used in this research setting must be applicable for use in ophthalmology practices. Therefore, the materials and procedures for this study have been developed with the goal of easy translation to this audience.