Needs Finding for Diabetes Education Day

Abstract

At a student run free clinic in Indianapolis, diabetes mellitus is a common condition as the disease is more prevalent among low-income groups due to income-related inequalities. Due to the prevalence of diabetes among the clinic patient population, the clinic planned to host a day at the clinic focused on diabetes-specific education and care. Diabetes education and counseling for patients is associated with significant improvements in HbA1c, blood glucose levels, and other related outcomes. However, it was not previously known what types of diabetes educational programing and services patients would be interested in receiving. To investigate this, researchers at the clinic asked patients with a diagnosis of diabetes (n = 30) to fill out surveys regarding what opportunities would interest them at a potential diabetes education day. Results revealed that 86% (n = 26) of patients would be interested in attending diabetes education day, with strong interest in group education and diabetes-specific food and meal kits. Findings discovered that more than half of patients (n = 19) surveyed were not up to date on at least one of the recommended diabetes-related health maintenance screenings that were asked with strong interest in completing those screenings at a diabetes education day. These findings will help the clinic create a tailored experience for the patient population at the designated clinic day.