Telecare consultation, which is defined as a two-way synchronized visual (voice and image) communication between patients and healthcare professionals using telecommunication applications such as Zoom, has become a major trend in recent years. The current COVID-19 pandemic provides an impetus to drive change and increase the uptake of telecare consultation in healthcare. To the best of investigators' knowledge, there is no translational research available that simultaneously implements and evaluates the telecare model of care delivered in a primary care setting. The present study will be the first in Hong Kong to fill this service and knowledge gap in the care of DM patients.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
780
Participants will use zoom to communicate with the doctors in clinic.
Participants will have face-to-face communication with the doctors in clinic.
Tuen Mun Hospital
Tuenmen, Hong Kong
HbA1c, defined as the amount of blood sugar attached to hemoglobin.
An HbA1c test shows what the average amount of glucose attached to hemoglobin has been over the past three months. It's a three-month average because that's typically how long a red blood cell lives. The blood glucose level will be measured at baseline pre-intervention, 42 weeks, and 84 weeks by a doctor.
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
Fasting lipid profile that will be drawn by patient's blood. The profile includes high and low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol level, and triglyceride level
Investigators are measuring the change of high- and low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol level, triglyceride level
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
body mass index, defined as the weight in kilograms divided by height in meters.
the change of weight in kilograms divided by height in meters
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
Medication adherence
the change of Medication adherence will be determined using the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale. This 12-item scale has a total score ranged from 12 to 48, with lower scores representing better medication adherence.
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
Quality of life, defined by the standard of health, comfort, experienced by diabetic patients, which is measured by SF-12 questionnaire. SF-12 questionnaire can measure the physical and mental health components of quality of life among diabetic patients.
Investigators will measure the change of physical and mental health components of quality of life of participants, measured by the Chinese version of Short-form 12-item version 2 scale.The 12 items in the questionnaire included two from each of the physical functioning (PF), role limitation due to physical problems (RP), role limitation due to emotional problems (RE), and mental health (MH) scale and one item from each of the bodily pain (BP), general health (GH), vitality (VT), and social functioning (SF) scale of the original SF-36 questionnaires. The items in the questionnaire were rated on Likert-type scales and summed to provide easily interpretable scales for physical and mental health components. Higher scores indicated better quality of life.
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
Number of attendances at a general practitioners' office, emergency department, hospital, and general out-patient clinic
To measure the utilization of healthcare services by stroke patient before and after the intervention.
Time frame: baseline pre-intervention (T1), 42 weeks (T2) and 84 weeks (T3)
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