Table 1
Model of intervention.
| Input | Objective | Output |
|---|---|---|
| audit/diabetes dashboard | -to identify areas of unmet need in the individual surgeries | -a list of the individual surgery’s outcomes against the local and national average |
| screening | -to identify patients at risk of developing complications from diabetes | -a list of patients referred to the virtual clinic |
| virtual clinic | -to discuss diabetes outcomes of the practice (audit/diabetes dashboard) | -action points |
| -to discuss care of individual patients identified during screening | -reviewed treatment plans | |
| -to discuss care of any other patients in need of an urgent review as identified by the primary care health care professionals | -reviewed treatment plans | |
| -to disseminate information about patient education | -primary care knowledge of available patient education | |
| -to educate about diabetes treatment and management and highlight local pathways |
Table 2
Perceived changes in knowledge and confidence in managing diabetes among primary care healthcare professionals (GPs and primary care nurses) following the pilot.
| Stayed insufficient | Stayed sufficient | Increased | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confidence in managing patients with diabetes | |||
| confidence of managing patients with type 1 diabetes | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| confidence of managing patients with type 2 diabetes | 2 | 5 | |
| Knowledge of management of diabetes | |||
| knowledge of administering diabetes medication | 2 | 5 | |
| knowledge of non-pharmacological diabetes treatment options, e.g. lifestyle changes, bariatric surgery | 6 | 1 | |
| knowledge of local diabetes guidelines | 4 | 3 | |
| knowledge of national diabetes guidelines | 3 | 4 | |
| knowledge of psychological needs of people with diabetes | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| knowledge of mental health problems linked to diabetes | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Knowledge of the referral system | |||
| knowledge of the referral system to specialist diabetes nurses | 4 | 3 | |
| knowledge of the referral system to diabetes specialists | 2 | 5 | |
| knowledge of the referral system to mental health services | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| knowledge of the referral system to patient structured education | 3 | 4 | |
| knowledge of the referral system to diabetes specialist dietitian | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Table 3
Self-reported change in primary care contacts with specialists following the pilot.
| Decreased | Stayed insufficient | Stayed sufficient | Increased | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| contacts with diabetes specialists | 7 | |||
| contacts with specialist diabetes nurses | 2 | 5 | ||
| referrals to diabetes specialists | 4 | 3 | ||
| referrals to specialist diabetes nurses | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| referrals to mental health services | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| referrals to diabetes specialist dietitian | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| referrals to patient structured education | 2 | 5 |