Addressing Diabetes in Primary Care: Hybrid Effectiveness–Implementation Study of Lifestyle Redesign® Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Importance: Primary health care is rapidly developing as an occupational therapy practice area. Yet, to date, little evidence supports occupational therapy’s feasibility and efficacy in primary care settings. Objective: To report on the implementation and preliminary clinical outcomes of a Lifestyle Redesign® (LR)–occupational therapy (LR–OT) diabetes management intervention in a primary care clinic. Design: Patients were randomized to be offered LR–OT or to a no-contact comparison group (data not reported). We assessed implementation outcomes using mixed methods. Setting: Safety-net primary care clinic. Participants: Clinic providers and staff; English- or Spanish-speaking clinic patients ages 18–75 yr with diabetes and a current hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥ 9.0%. Intervention: Eight 1-hr individual sessions of LR–OT focused on diabetes management. Outcomes and Measures: Clinical and health behavior outcomes were assessed via electronic medical record (EMR) review and self-report surveys of patients receiving LR–OT at initial evaluation and discharge. We assessed implementation outcomes (acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, efficiency, and timeliness) using patient and staff surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations. Results: Seventy-three patients were offered LR–OT: 51 completed one or more sessions, and 38 completed the program. Clinical outcomes among program completers indicate beneficial changes in HbA1c, diabetes self-care, and health status. Implementation challenges included a need for patient and staff education, securing adequate workspace, and establishing a referral process. Factors contributing to implementation success included strong buy-in from clinic leadership, colocation, and shared EMR documentation. Conclusions and Relevance: LR–OT is a feasible approach to enhancing service delivery and clinical outcomes in primary care. What This Article Adds: This study provides insight into factors that may create challenges or contribute to the success of implementing occupational therapy services within primary health care settings. In addition, this study provides preliminary evidence of occupational therapy’s effectiveness in improving clinical outcomes among ethnically diverse, low-income patients with diabetes in a safety-net primary care setting.

Critical perspectives on implementation of evidence-based practice in occupational therapy – Exemplified by Lifestyle Redesign® in a Danish context

“…In the Danish project, the project group consisted of a few persons that carried out most steps in the project, without anchoring or critically assessing it in collaboration with other affected parties or stakeholders. Besides assessments of the intervention's feasibility and efficiency, further aspects such as appropriateness, acceptability, fidelity and timeliness of the intervention shall be appraised (Pyatak et al, 2019). In light of the trademarked Lifestyle Redesign ® in the United States, fidelity assessments may need adjustments adapted to the intervention's specific customisations into the nontrademarked registered version of the Danish version of Lifestyle Redesign ® .…”

Piloting an Intervention to Improve Outcomes in Young Adults Living With Type 1 Diabetes: The Experience of the D1 Now Support Worker

“…Current literature related to the potential role of allied health professionals such as Occupational Therapy in diabetes care is really only just emerging. Recent research studies across the UK and USA demonstrate the valuable contribution OT can make to a range of diabetes populations, across the lifespan and in a range of settings (33)(34)(35)(36). OT practice in Ireland appears slow to build on this work of international colleagues.…”

Lifestyle Management for Vestibular Disorders

“…Occupational therapists are uniquely capable of providing lifestyle modifications that could benefit this population. Occupational therapy has shown benefits in providing lifestyle modifications in populations with other chronic disease such as diabetes and chronic pain (Pyatak et al, 2019;Simon & Collins, 2017). Occupational therapists may have an opportunity to provide a lifestyle modification intervention in a primary care setting as vestibular vertigo is frequently seen in primary care settings (Neuhauser et al, 2008).…”