Continuing Medical Education for Promoting Shared Medical Visits in Diabetes Care

P atient engagement and effective self-management, in concert with high-quality clinical care, are crucial for the optimal management of type 2 diabetes (1,2). Shared medical visits (SMVs) are a creative approach to engaging patients in self-care and allowing clinicians to spend the necessary time providing patient education while managing several patients at once. Studies show that patients who attend SMVs demonstrate improvements in diabetes knowledge , health measures, and a sense of self-efficacy (3–7). However, SMVs have not yet been widely adopted in practice (8). The aim of this study was to provide clinicians with actionable education regarding innovative approaches to delivering care to patients with type 2 diabetes and to evaluate the effect of promoting the adoption of SMVs in clinical practice. Methods In 2012, we developed and implemented a series of five live, 3-hour continuing medical education (CME)–certified workshops, which included both education about the management of type 2 diabetes with insulin therapy (2 hours) and a focus on practical information on SMV implementation (1 hour). Diabetes educational content and survey questions were developed by leading medical experts. SMV content and survey questions were created by experts in practice management. Diabetes education was delivered by medical experts, and SMV education was delivered by medical experts with experience in providing SMVs. To aid clinicians with SMV implementation, a variety of tools were made available online, including a general outline of SMV topics, tips for facilitating discussions, and templates for invitations and agendas. As a control, a live, 2-hour interactive workshop focused solely on insulin therapy for the management of type 2 diabetes and not including any material on the topic of SMVs was also presented. Participants in both groups were assessed for confidence and knowledge before and immediately after the workshops. The SMV group answered two confidence and four knowledge questions, and the non-SMV group answered one confidence and three knowledge questions. Both groups were surveyed for their confidence in their ability to distinguish the pharmacological profiles of basal insulins, and the SMV group was also assessed for their confidence in providing diabetes-related education in an SMV setting. Both groups were also evaluated on their knowledge of guideline recommendations for insulin initiation, differences in the pharmacological profiles of basal insulins, and appropriate management of patients receiving insulin therapy. Additionally, the SMV group was evaluated for knowledge about implementation of SMVs. ©2015 by the American Diabetes Association. Readers may use …