Study finds family support boosts diabetes care
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Offering digital health education to family and friends of diabetes patients can improve outcomes for patients, Arkansas researchers found.
Why it matters: The study, performed by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institute for Community Health Innovation, suggests that this model can improve disease management and provides evidence that it should be covered by insurance, professor and researcher Jennifer Andersen told Axios.
- It also confirmed that it can be done well using telehealth, which can help reach people in rural areas where transportation and distance are common barriers.
State of play: The standard model, where patients attend classes alone, is more broadly offered and covered by insurance, she said. It is also effective at helping patients manage their diabetes.
What they found: The UAMS study was the first to compare the standard and family models and found that glucose management improved in both groups. The family model, though, was also effective at reducing "harmful" behaviors by patients' support systems and increasing "helpful" behaviors, Andersen said.
- "It's really nice when those family members and your support network get more of an idea what's going on," Andersen said.
- People who do not have diabetes might not know that their behavior, like pressuring someone to have a cupcake at a birthday party, is harmful. This kind of education can help a patient's support system better understand the disease.
What they did: Participants in the study were allowed to have one family member or friend participate in online diabetes self-management education that they typically would participate in alone.
- They didn't necessarily live together or even have to be in the same room for the education. The people attending the classes with them made "supporting goals," like agreeing to watch children for the patients while they took walks after dinner or walking with them.
What's next: The institute is hoping to expand both models via telehealth, Andersen said.