The overarching purpose of this project is to provide diabetes education to the diverse patient population at the Lions Eye Clinic, a resident-run ophthalmology practice at California Pacific Medical Center. Because of high clinic volume in a teaching environment, our patients often experience long wait times. The goal of this program is to utilize this wait time for diabetes education, a much-needed corollary to the eye care that patients receive at our clinic. This pilot project will investigate the impact of a program like this in our patient population. Specifically, the investigators are investigating whether diabetes education delivered in an ophthalmology setting enhances patient understanding of diabetes (via knowledge surveys) and/or leads to improved blood glucose control (via hemoglobin A1c). This is a 6-month study that runs through April 2015, and looks at the impact of an interactive diabetes education iPad app +/- in-person sessions with a diabetes educator. A subset of patients who meet with a diabetes educator will also be shown their own retinal images (compared to a normal retina).
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
36
Provided by the Patient Education Institute, the "X-plain" iPad app includes modules on healthy eating for diabetics, eye complications, foot care, and others.
A certified diabetes educator and/or registered dietitian will meet with patients for 30-60 minutes prior to their ophthalmology visits, when scheduling permits.
A resident ophthalmologist will spend approximately 5 minutes showing patient their own retinal photos, compared to a normal retina, and explaining the pathology present (if applicable).
Change from Baseline in Patient Knowledge about Diabetes at 3 months (via multiple-choice surveys)
Objective assessment of patient knowledge about diabetes using 13 multiple-choice questions
Time frame: Participants will be re-surveyed at their next follow-up eye appointment, an expected average of 3 months post-intervention
Change from Baseline Hemoglobin A1c at 3 months
Provides estimate of patient's average blood sugar over past three months
Time frame: Participants will have repeat lab drawn at their next follow-up eye appointment, an expected average of 3 months post-intervention
Patient Satisfaction / Motivation / Subjective Improvement in Knowledge (brief surveys)
Brief 3-4 question surveys to assess patient satisfaction with services offered, motivation to manage their disease process, and subjective improvement in knowledge after using educational services
Time frame: 1 day
Change from Baseline in Patient Knowledge about Diabetes Immediately after using Educational Services (via multiple-choice surveys)
Objective assessment of patient knowledge about diabetes using 13 multiple-choice questions
Time frame: 1 day
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