Health care restructuring efforts have been influenced by changes in public policy, payment mechanisms, and societal values. In today's environment, leading issues focus on quality and cost-effective care. Health care systems are moving from a concentration on structures and processes of care to an expanded view that encompasses the exploration, documentation, and improvement of patient outcomes. This article presents an overview of the domains of health outcomes, widely used surveys in the measurement of outcomes, methodological issues related to interpreting outcome measures, and trends for clinical practice and future research.
The number of people using injectable therapies in the UK has dramatically increased over the last 20 years. People using insulin require intense support from health care professionals (HCPs). This paper describes a module which was developed for people with type 2 diabetes being treated with injectable therapies to empower them to effectively self-manage their treatment. This was based on evidence from a previously published randomised controlled trial (the Microalbuminuria Education and Medication Optimisation [MEMO] study).Groups of up to 10 participants (with partners) are invited to attend a core session (either insulin or GLP-1 therapy) lasting 3.5 hours and then attend five topic-specific sessions (2.5 hours). Participants choose to attend all or some of these topic sessions allowing for maximum flexibility for self-management plans. Participants are encouraged at the end of each session to work with the HCP facilitator to suggest changes to their treatment regimens if required. It is recommended that participants attend a basic structured diabetes education programme before commencing the programme. Facilitators are trained HCPs due to the skills, knowledge and expertise needed in treatment adjustments. A pilot was conducted (participants n=9) which showed positive evaluations from both facilitators and participants. The module toolkit contains a curriculum, resources and a participant workbook, and workshop training is provided. The programme is currently delivered in a group setting; however, work is being done to adapt the programme to be used in a one-to-one setting.
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