Diabetes nurse case management: An effective tool

PURPOSE: In March 2000, a large tertiary military medical treatment facility on the east coast implemented a diabetes nurse case management program to coordinate care for patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2 and a hemoglobin A1c value of 8.0% or greater. Although proven successful for patients while enrolled in the program, there was a lack of research that evaluated how successful patients were at continuing diabetes self-management once discharged. This study evaluated glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (A1c), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in patients at admission, discharge, and 6 months following discharge from the program. DATA SOURCES: A retrospective medical record review of laboratory data was evaluated using descriptive statistics and paired t-test. CONCLUSIONS: Significant reductions in A1c and TC values from admission to discharge were achieved, which the patients maintained 6 months following discharge. There was also a significant reduction in LDL value from admission to 6 months following discharge. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study supports the value of nurse case management for patients with diabetes.