UNLABELLED: Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health problem among Latinos, yet the quality of diabetes treatment among them has not been fully examined. GOALS: A pilot study was conducted with adult diabetic patients for the purposes of describing their diabetes-related knowledge and behaviors and evaluating whether these patients were receiving effective outpatient care. METHODS: Demographic data, health knowledge, and behavioral information was collected using face-to-face interviews with 101 patients diagnosed for at least 1 year at three primary care clinics. The medical record of each interviewee was abstracted for evidence that medical follow-up was being conducted with the recommended frequency. RESULTS: Most respondents spoke only or mostly Spanish, yet 14% of these patients reported that they had received instruction about diabetes in English alone. A majority of patients exhibited a basic understanding of their disease, and more than half reported positive health behaviors within the past year. Nonetheless, 54% of Puerto Rican Americans and 26% of Mexican-Americans had been admitted to the hospital or had used the emergency room for diabetes-related conditions. Recommended medical procedures were infrequently documented in clinic records. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes education was available in Spanish, and patients appeared to have a basic knowledge of the disease process. However, recommended clinical follow-up was not uniformly provided. The large number of diabetes-related hospitalizations may be related to sub-optimal management among at least some of these patients.
UNLABELLED: Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health problem among Latinos, yet the quality of diabetes treatment among them has not been fully examined. GOALS: A pilot study was conducted with adult diabeticpatients for the purposes of describing their diabetes-related knowledge and behaviors and evaluating whether these patients were receiving effective outpatient care. METHODS: Demographic data, health knowledge, and behavioral information was collected using face-to-face interviews with 101 patients diagnosed for at least 1 year at three primary care clinics. The medical record of each interviewee was abstracted for evidence that medical follow-up was being conducted with the recommended frequency. RESULTS: Most respondents spoke only or mostly Spanish, yet 14% of these patients reported that they had received instruction about diabetes in English alone. A majority of patients exhibited a basic understanding of their disease, and more than half reported positive health behaviors within the past year. Nonetheless, 54% of Puerto Rican Americans and 26% of Mexican-Americans had been admitted to the hospital or had used the emergency room for diabetes-related conditions. Recommended medical procedures were infrequently documented in clinic records. CONCLUSIONS:Diabetes education was available in Spanish, and patients appeared to have a basic knowledge of the disease process. However, recommended clinical follow-up was not uniformly provided. The large number of diabetes-related hospitalizations may be related to sub-optimal management among at least some of these patients.
Authors: J A Marshall; R F Hamman; J Baxter; E J Mayer; D L Fulton; M Orleans; M Rewers; R H Jones Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 1993-04-01 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: S Greenfield; S H Kaplan; R A Silliman; L Sullivan; W Manning; R D'Agostino; D E Singer; D M Nathan Journal: Diabetes Care Date: 1994-06 Impact factor: 19.112
Authors: K M Flegal; T M Ezzati; M I Harris; S G Haynes; R Z Juarez; W C Knowler; E J Perez-Stable; M P Stern Journal: Diabetes Care Date: 1991-07 Impact factor: 19.112
Authors: Chandra Y Osborn; K R Amico; Noemi Cruz; Ann A O'Connell; Rafael Perez-Escamilla; Seth C Kalichman; Scott A Wolf; Jeffrey D Fisher Journal: Health Educ Behav Date: 2010-11-12