University of Florida Health (12/17/2024) Pease, Jill
New research demonstrates the benefits of a tele-education program for healthcare providers involved in diabetes care. The study, published in Diabetes Care, found that the Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (ECHO) model led to improved blood glucose levels for patients and greater use of medical devices to manage the disease. Led by researchers at the University of Florida in collaboration with Stanford University, the Project ECHO Diabetes program was implemented at 20 Federally Qualified Health Centers in Florida and California. For the program, participating healthcare providers — including physicians, nurse practitioners, and social workers — participated in live, interactive tele-education conferences and real-time support for complex medical decision-making. After 6 months, there were substantial improvements in patient health for the nearly 33,000 patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were treated at one of the participating health centers, including a significant reduction in the number of people with an average blood glucose level over 9%. The benefits extended to all patients with diabetes who were treated at the health centers, not just those treated directly by providers who participated in the ECHO program. In a group of nearly 600 racially and ethnically diverse patients with diabetes treated at the healthcare centers, the Project ECHO program led to an almost 47% increase in the use of continuous glucose monitors and an almost 20% increase in the use of insulin pumps. "The fact that we were able to see these results in 6 months bears testimony to the dedication of the primary care providers we worked with and their relationships with patients," said Ashby Walker, PhD, an assistant professor of health services research, management and policy in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, and director of health equity initiatives at the UF Diabetes Institute. "You could see how eager the providers were to improve the lives of their patients. I think that's why ECHO has such potential. You're working with community providers who have something that you can't replicate artificially, which is patient trust."
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