Objective:To evaluate the impact and effectiveness of 24-hour helpline service in providing information and educating patients about self-management of diabetes.Method:The study was conducted at Baqai Institute of Diabetology & Endocrinology (BIDE), a tertiary diabetes care center, Karachi, Pakistan. People with diabetes attending the outpatient department from November 2012 to October 2014 were included in this study. After providing diabetes education, a helpline number was provided for emergency situations. Calls of registered patients were received by diabetes educators stationed at the BIDE around the clock. Data was collected through specially designed interface of HMS (health management system) in which the current complaint of caller and the advice of educator was recorded.Result:A total of 4842 calls were received. Out of those, 4268 (88%) were made by Type-2 diabetics and 526 calls (10%) were made by Type-1 diabetics. The average age of patients was 47.6 years. Three seventy-four calls (7.7%) were received with complaint of Hypoglycemia (72-80mg/dl). Six hundred and ninety-eight calls (14.4%) were received with complaint of hyperglycemia (>200mg/dl). Insulin dose was adjusted on 935 calls (19.3%). Calls regarding other special situations such as (insulin handling, technique, medicine information) 2014 (41.6%) were received.Conclusion:Station based 24-hour telephonic helpline service is an effective tool for providing continuous support to people with diabetes and their families, for the self-management of diabetes. It can help in the management of various acute complication of diabetes, thereby preventing unnecessary hospital visits and admission.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.