A Prospective Study on Diabetes Management Through an Integrated Delivery System

Five general hospitals, including both public and private, are chosen as regional coordinating centers in this project. Collaborating with community physicians, project coordinating-centers randomize diabetic patients, who have signed informed consent, into either intervention or control group. While two annual comprehensive lab tests are offered to the control group, an additional package of consultations and coordinating services provided by health managers is appended to the intervention group. Qualified health managers are cultivated in five selected medical institutes to support primary care physicians in managing diabetic patients. Responsibilities of health managers include tracking and updating enrolled patients' information, providing adequate and scheduled consultations, arranging specialty referrals for patients in needs, and transferring stable patients back to their original physicians. The feasibility phase of the project implementation will last for three years and it will be followed by a phase of full-scale implementation for another two years. Glycemic control as well as health status of participants will be the indicators to evaluate outcome of the project. At the same time, the periodic measurements on glucose, blood pressures, lipids and the incidence of complications will also be analyzed to set up an optimal target for diabetic control in Taiwan.

Inclusion criteria

• Symptoms of diabetes plus casual plasma glucose concentration 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l). Casual is defined as any time of day without regard to time since last meal. The classic symptoms of diabetes include polyuria, polydipsia, and unexplained weight loss.
• Fasting plasma glucose 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l). Fasting is defined as no caloric intake for at least 8 hours.

3.2-hour plasma glucose 200 mg/dl (11.1 mmol/l) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). The test should be performed using a glucose load containing the equivalent of 75-g anhydrous glucose dissolved in water.

Exclusion criteria

• Type 1 diabetes (Insulin dependent diabetes, IDDM)
• Women who are pregnant at the entry time.
• Those who have history of myocardial infraction (MI), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), foot amputation and uremia under dialysis.