Review of Factors Contributing to Successful Shared Medical Appointments for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, A

Crawford, Kurtis

Publication

Review of Factors Contributing to Successful Shared Medical Appointments for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, A

Crawford, Kurtis

Description

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prevalent and costly disease in the United States. Research has shown that shared medical appointments (SMAs) can improve glycemic values and other health measurements for patients who have T2DM by encouraging lifestyle modifications and self-management skills. Purpose: The study purpose is to conduct an integrative review of the literature in order to evaluate the factors involved in successful SMAs to formulate a model for future SMAs for patients with T2DM. Methods: Searches for articles regarding SMAs and T2DM published after 2009 on PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and the University of Wyoming Libraries search engines was conducted by the principal investigator. Articles showing glycemic control improvement were chosen and factors of size of group, setting, title and number of providers at meeting, duration of meetings, number of meetings, and how often meetings were held were examined to formulate a model of a successful SMA. Results: Preliminary analysis shows an optimal SMA would include 12 patients, in a clinic with multiple providers of different professions attending each meeting for six to twelve weeks. Conclusions: It is expected that the review results can be used to assist providers in structuring optimal setting, size, and staff for a successful SMA.