Key result
Diabetes ECHO telementoring is linked to ~96% of rural providers intending to apply new learning.
Why the study?
To share the impact of the Louisiana Diabetes ECHO telementoring program by describing 5-year participation and evaluation outcomes among clinicians in underserved settings.
Does the Project ECHO telementoring model improve perceived knowledge and skills for diabetes management among rural healthcare providers?
Observational (n=760)
Yes
Does the Project ECHO telementoring model improve perceived knowledge and skills for diabetes management among rural healthcare providers?
The Diabetes ECHO telementoring program successfully delivered sustained virtual education to rural Louisiana providers, resulting in high perceived gains in knowledge and skills for diabetes management.
Supports feasibility of telementoring for rural education; leaves open effects on provider behavior or patient outcomes.
Introduction and Objective: Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a telementoring model that uses virtual, case-based learning to connect specialists with community clinicians to build capacity in rural, high-burden, and low-income settings. The CDC-funded Louisiana Diabetes ECHO targets underserved Louisiana parishes to improve DM outcomes and prevent and manage cardiovascular disease through a knowledge-sharing network. We aim to share the impact of this program by describing 5-year participation and evaluation outcomes. Methods: We created a descriptive analysis of the Diabetes ECHO series (2021-2025), aggregating attendance, roles, issued continuing education credits, and post-session survey results. Sessions followed a standardized format—case presentation, facilitated discussion, and expert didactic—delivered twice monthly to rural primary care teams on core DM topics. Results: Over five years, 114 sessions generated 2,140 attendances (M=19 per session) and 760 evaluations. Participants included physicians, advanced practice providers, and other professionals; nurses/NPs and physicians comprised the largest groups. Across 2021-2025, intention to apply learning in team-based care was high (M=4.6/5; 96% agree/strongly agree). From 2023-2025 (N=421), 71% of participants reported no barriers to using content; when reported, barriers most often included lack of time (14%) and resources (13%). Perceived impact was substantial: 95% of participants reported increased knowledge, 38% improved skills, 33% improved performance, and 18% perceived improved patient outcomes. Conclusion: Diabetes ECHO telementoring program delivered sustained, case-based virtual education to rural and high-burden Louisiana providers and was associated with high intention to apply learning and perceived gains in knowledge, skills, and performance, and relatively few reported barriers. This supports ECHO as a scalable strategy to extend DM knowledge to underserved settings. Disclosure C.M. Smith: None. H. Carey: None. R. Jackson: None. C. Castille: None. A. Mai: None. S. Gadi: Speaker's Bureau; Current; Amgen Inc., AstraZeneca, Angiodynamics Inc. A. Borghol: None. T. Son: None. A. Frischhertz: None. T. Roberts: None. D. Lovre: Advisory Panel; Ended; Novo Nordisk, Chiesi USA, Inc. Funding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DP18-1815; DP18-1817; CDC-RFA-DP-23-0020)
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SMITH et al. (2026) conducted an observational in Diabetes (n=760). Diabetes ECHO telementoring program was evaluated on Intention to apply learning in team-based care. The Diabetes ECHO telementoring program for rural Louisiana providers resulted in 96% of participants intending to apply learning and 95% reporting increased knowledge in diabetes management.
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