The STATIN CHOICE Decision Aid for Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Overview

Diabetes is a growing epidemic within the United States that disproportionately affects economically disadvantaged communities like East Harlem. As diabetic patients are at very high risk for heart disease, experts recommend an aggressive approach towards using statins in people with diabetes. However, statins and other helpful drugs are only effective if patients decide to take them. Adherence to this medication is notoriously poor and is aggravated by its required life-long use. This study is designed to test the effectiveness of a new decision aid in helping diverse, inner-city patients with diabetes understand the risks and benefits in taking statins and whether this enhanced decision making process improves their adherence to the medication.

To compare the efficacy of usual consultations with or without the decision aid STATIN CHOICE in type 2 diabetic patients using or considering using statins to lower CV risk in terms of statin use, adherence, knowledge, beliefs and decisional conflict. The study team's primary hypothesis is that 3 months after the index discussion, significantly more patients randomized to STATIN CHOICE are using statins, are adherent to statins, are knowledgeable about the statin choice, and are satisfied with their decision than patients randomized to usual care consultation, and that these benefits will be achieved without deterioration in quality of life.

Conditions