Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve Quality of Care, Enhance Patient Safety, and Reduce Costs in Diabetes

Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve Quality of Care, Enhance Patient Safety, and Reduce Costs in Diabetes

Considering Michael’s condition of diabetes and his prime requirements, the evidence-based strategies that can be effective for improving the quality of care, enhancing patient safety, and reducing costs are as follows:

• Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) program
• Remote monitoring of medication adherence 

Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Program

DSMES programs are one of the evidence-based strategies that have the potential to improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety and reduce costs to patients and healthcare systems. In the DSMES program, patients are educated on self-care and self-management tactics and plan to manage their diabetes themselves. Through the DSMES program, patients can be empowered to take their own care with appropriate education and support. Patients who are negligent of their disease acquire knowledge, skills and gain enough confidence to manage their diabetes effectively. These skills can include blood glucose monitoring, medication adherence, healthy eating, physical activity, and managing hypoglycemia.

This leads to improved self-care behaviors and better medication & care treatment adherence as their own participation in improving their condition is enabled. All these factors contribute to improving the quality of care. The DSMES program also facilitates early detection and identification of diabetes-related complications by educating patients about the signs and symptoms of these morbidities related to diabetes. This prevents the incidence of related complications such as cardiovascular problems, renal diseases, and foot ulcerations.

Early detection of diabetes-related complications enhances patient safety, reduces hospital readmission rates, and lowers costs to both the patient and the healthcare systems (Powers et al., 2020). This strategy will be effective in Michael’s case as his primary concern is unhealthy food intake and a sedentary lifestyle.

Remote Monitoring of Medication Adherence

As in Michael’s case, medication non-adherence is a major barrier to diabetes management. For this purpose, remote monitoring is an evidence-based strategy that can promote medication adherence and improve glycemic control. Healthcare professionals can coordinate with patients through either smartphone applications or other electronic devices like smart pill dispensers or electronic health records. Healthcare providers can also send reminders electronically to patients so they can be alarmed to take their medication timely.

These methods improve medication adherence through remote monitoring and improve the quality of care (Munshi et al., 2021). Furthermore, remote monitoring also enhances patient safety as the patient takes medication regularly and on time preventing him from experiencing any diabetes-related complications such as hypertension, vision loss, and foot complications. Additionally, patients can avoid clinical visits as he is acquiring guidance related to medication and their condition through smartphone apps, and the costs can be reduced by traveling to hospitals. 

These strategies can be effective in lowering the high blood glucose levels to normal limits for diabetes in Michael’s case as they promote self-care for diabetes by attaining a healthy lifestyle and medication adherence. Furthermore, the available sources of benchmark data for diabetes can be the glycemic level range provided by the American Diabetes Association which can be the guiding tool in estimating the current status of diabetes in patients. I have documented the practicum hours spent with Michael and his family in CORE ELMS Volunteer Experience Form that can be used to find the details about our meeting session.

Conclusion

Diabetes is a chronic condition that impacts the quality of care as it requires complex care treatment and interdisciplinary team involvement. Under circumstances where the disease is unmanaged, it causes various health complications including cardiovascular problems and foot complications impacting patient safety. Due to expensive care treatment and medication, it burdens patients and healthcare organizations with heavy costs and expenditures.

The American Nursing Association and ACA policy help improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety, and lower costs for individuals and healthcare systems. The DSMES and remote monitoring for medication adherence are the proposed evidence-based strategies that improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety and reduce costs. 

References

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: S