Madan Dharmar

Background: Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem amenable to prevention and health promotion. As healthy behaviors have an impact on disease outcomes, approaches to support and sustain diabetes self-management are vital. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse coaching program using motivational interviewing paired with mobile health (mHealth) technology on diabetes self-efficacy and self-management for persons with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This randomized controlled trial compared usual care with an intervention that entailed nurse health coaching and mHealth technology to track patient-generated health data and integrate these data into an electronic health record. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) enrolled at 1 of 3 primary care clinics, (2) aged 18 years or above, (3) living with type 2 diabetes, and (4) English-speaking. We collected outcome measures at baseline, 3 months, and 9 months. The primary outcome was diabetes self-efficacy; secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms, perceived stress, physical functioning, and emotional distress and anxiety. Linear regression mixed modeling estimated the population trends and individual differences in change. Results: We enrolled 319 participants; 287 participants completed the study (155 control and 132 intervention). The participants in the intervention group had significant improvements in diabetes self-efficacy (Diabetes Empowerment Scale, 0.34; 95% CI –0.15,0.53; P<.01) and a decrease in depressive symptoms compared with usual care at 3 months (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; 0.89; 95% CI 0.01-1.77; P=.05), with no differences in the other outcomes. The differences in self-efficacy and depression scores between the 2 arms at 9 months were not sustained. The participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in physical activity (from 23,770 steps per week to 39,167 steps per week at 3 months and 32,601 per week at 9 months). Conclusions: We demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of this intervention; however, by 9 months, although physical activity remained above the baseline, the improvements in self-efficacy were not sustained. Further research should evaluate the minimum dose of coaching required to continue progress after active intervention and the potential of technology to provide effective ongoing automated reinforcement for behavior change. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02672176; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02672176

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is a growing public health problem amenable to prevention and health promotion. As healthy behaviors have an impact on disease outcomes, approaches to support and sustain diabetes self-management are vital. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse coaching program using motivational interviewing paired with mobile health (mHealth) technology on diabetes self-efficacy and self-management for persons with type 2 diabetes. METHODS This randomized controlled trial compared usual care with an intervention that entailed nurse health coaching and mHealth technology to track patient-generated health data and integrate these data into an electronic health record. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) enrolled at 1 of 3 primary care clinics, (2) aged 18 years or above, (3) living with type 2 diabetes, and (4) English-speaking. We collected outcome measures at baseline, 3 months, and 9 months. The primary outcome was diabetes self-efficacy; secondary outcomes were depressive symptoms, perceived stress, physical functioning, and emotional distress and anxiety. Linear regression mixed modeling estimated the population trends and individual differences in change. RESULTS We enrolled 319 participants; 287 participants completed the study (155 control and 132 intervention). The participants in the intervention group had significant improvements in diabetes self-efficacy (Diabetes Empowerment Scale, 0.34; 95% CI –0.15,0.53; P<.01) and a decrease in depressive symptoms compared with usual care at 3 months (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; 0.89; 95% CI 0.01-1.77; P=.05), with no differences in the other outcomes. The differences in self-efficacy and depression scores between the 2 arms at 9 months were not sustained. The participants in the intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in physical activity (from 23,770 steps per week to 39,167 steps per week at 3 months and 32,601 per week at 9 months). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated the short-term effectiveness of this intervention; however, by 9 months, although physical activity remained above the baseline, the improvements in self-efficacy were not sustained. Further research should evaluate the minimum dose of coaching required to continue progress after active intervention and the potential of technology to provide effective ongoing automated reinforcement for behavior change. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02672176; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02672176

Chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, are the leading cause of mortality and disability in the United States. Current solutions focus primarily on diagnosis and pharmacological treatment, yet there is increasing evidence that patient-centered models of care are more successful in improving and addressing chronic disease outcomes. The objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the impact of a mobile health (mHealth) enabled nurse health coaching intervention on self-efficacy among adults with type-2 diabetes mellitus. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at an academic health system in Northern California. A total of 300 participants with type-2 diabetes were scheduled to be enrolled through three primary care clinics. Participants were randomized to either usual care or intervention. All participants received training on use of the health system patient portal. Participants in the intervention arm received six scheduled health-coaching telephone calls with a registered nurse and were provided with an activity tracker and mobile application that integrated data into the electronic health record (EHR) to track their daily activity and health behavior decisions. All participants completed a baseline survey and follow-up surveys at 3 and 9 months. Primary and secondary outcomes include diabetes self-efficacy, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and quality of life measures. Data collection for this trial, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, will be completed by December 2017. Results from the trial will be available mid-2018. This protocol details a patient-centered intervention using nurse health coaching, mHealth technologies, and integration of patient-generated data into the EHR. The aim of the intervention is to enhance self-efficacy and health outcomes by providing participants with a mechanism to track daily activity by offering coaching support to set reasonable and attainable health goals, and by creating a complete feedback loop by bringing patient-generated data into the EHR. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02672176; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02672176 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6xEQXe1M5).

Background: Higher fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C levels are seen more often in African American (AA) and Hispanic (H) youth, even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI), pointing to other factors that might be promoting abnormal glucose tolerance, such as inflammatory mediators. Our study compared markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in adolescents of different ethnicities. Methods: This was a cross-sectional cohort study of healthy Caucasian (C), H, and AA adolescents. Fasting urine for F2-isoprostanes and plasma for adiponectin, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (s-VCAM 1), interleukins (ILs), and tumor necrosis factor-α were collected and analyzed. Insulin resistance was measured by homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Multivariable regression analyses were used to assess the effect of the biomarkers on HOMA-IR. Results: Seventy adolescents were enrolled (26 C, 20 A, and 24 H); 32 were male (46%) and 27 (39%) were obese. Exploratory analysis showed that for every 1 U increase in BMI z-score, IL-8 rose by 0.53 (0.05, 1.00), P = 0.03. On regression analyses, for every unit increase in BMI z-score, HOMA-IR increased by 0.67 U (P = 0.001); for every unit increase in IL-8, HOMA-IR decreased by 0.21 U (P = 0.04). None of the other biomarkers was significantly associated with HOMA-IR. Conclusions: Higher insulin resistance was associated with increasing BMI z-scores and lower IL-8. This pilot study demonstrates the need to further evaluate inflammatory markers as an independent risk factor for the development of diabetes and to explore if there is a cause and effect relationship between IL-8 and insulin resistance. This could prove valuable for early identification of insulin resistance and as targets for intervention.

Telemedicine use has been increasing exponentially and is expected to become a common tool in remote emergency departments, inpatient wards, and ICUs for acute care. Telemedicine involves real-time, live interactive high-definition video and audio communication that allows critical care physicians to have a virtual presence at the bedside of any critically ill patient. There is increasing data to support new care models that incorporate telemedicine in caring for the critically ill, resulting in higher care quality; more efficient resource use with improved cost-effectiveness; and higher patient, family, and remote provider satisfaction. As further research is conducted, the best use of telemedicine will be better defined and will result in increased access to critical care expertise to a larger population of patients requiring ICU services.

The overall aim of this project was to ascertain the utilization of a custom-designed telemedicine service for patients to maintain close contact (via videoconference) with family and friends during hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective chart review of hospitalized patients (primarily children) with extended hospital length of stays. Telecommunication equipment was used to provide videoconference links from the patient's bedside to friends and family in the community. Thirty-six cases were managed during a five-year period (2006 to 2010). The most common reasons for using Family-Link were related to the logistical challenges of traveling to and from the hospital—principally due to distance, time, family commitments, and/or personal cost. We conclude that videoconferencing provides a solution to some barriers that may limit family presence and participation in care for hospitalized patients, and as a patient-centered innovation is likely to enhance patient and family satisfaction.