A Multidisciplinary Diabetes Clinic Improves Clinical and Behavioral Outcomes in a Primary Care Setting

Point-of-care testing improves diabetes management in a primary care clinic in South Africa.

INTRODUCTION Diabetes is a major health problem in South Africa. DiabCare Africa found just 47% of diabetes patients had a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test for their management in the previous year. METHODS Patients attending an urban diabetes clinic near Johannesburg, run by Project HOPE, accessed HbA1c (and urine albumin:creatinine ratio) point-of-care testing (POCT) as part of a quality-assured...

Into the abyss: diabetes process of care indicators and outcomes of defaulters from a Canadian tertiary care multidisciplinary diabetes clinic

BACKGROUND Continuity of care is essential for good quality diabetes management. We recently found that 46% of patients defaulted from care (had no contact with the clinic for 18 months after a follow-up appointment was ordered) in a Canadian multidisciplinary tertiary care diabetes clinic. The primary aim was to compare characteristics, diabetes processes of care, and outcomes from referral to...

Subspecialist care improves diabetes outcomes.

The ultimate goal of the care of diabetic individuals is to reduce complications and prolong high quality of life. In view of the soaring increase in prevalence of this devastating illness, we as a society are obliged to “pull out all the stops” to identify disease early, prevent its progression, and provide the best care for those in need of treatment. It has become axiomatic that the best way...

Breast cancer: multidisciplinary care and clinical outcomes.

A multidisciplinary approach to the management of breast cancer is the standard of care in developed health systems. We performed a systematic review to assess the extent and quality of evidence on whether multidisciplinary care (MDC), or related aspects of care contribute to clinical outcomes in breast cancer, and in particular whether these influence survival. Only two primary studies have lo...

Well men clinic service in the primary health care setting.