Background and Significance: The annual cost of diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) in the United States is $327 billion, with individuals with DM2 spending 2.3 times more on health care than individuals without DM2. Education, such as Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs, and self-care support, utilizing tools such as the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) Measure, are the cornerstones of improving care and outcomes for patients with DM2. Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized self-care assessment and educational intervention for a mid-Michigan internal medicine clinic's adult patient population over 18 years of age with DM2 and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) greater than 9% and improve patient self-care. Methods: The Plan, Do, Act, Study (PDSA) Cycle and the Chronic Care Model were used as a framework to guide the project. Eligible participants were identified by clinic staff and received self-care education. Evaluation: The validated SDSCA tool was utilized to assess self-care pre- and post- educational intervention. A two-tailed paired t-test was then performed to compare pre- and post-intervention scores. Outcomes: Of 25 eligible patients in the clinic, 13 patients participated in the initial phase with 3 patients lost to follow-up, leaving 10 patients included in data analysis. A statistically significant improvement was seen in DM2 self-care with mean scores increasing from 4.1 days/week to 4.8 days/week (t = -6.5, p < 0.01). Implications/Conclusion: Identification of specific areas of patient educational needs can improve self-care in patients with DM2 and improve their overall health outcomes.
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