Global Diabetes Walk arranged as part of WDF14-937.In Argentina the prevalence of diabetes is allegedly 5.98%, and with a continuously rising prevalence it poses a burden to the health care system and on the economy in the form of productivity losses.The vast majority of people living in Argentina have a limited access to education and lacks knowledge on healthy lifestyle. The health care system is insufficient without surveillances of people living with diabetes and most often poor treatment.ObjectivesTo train primary care team to implement the Diabetes Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) and provide diabetes education. Furthermore, a Diabetes Registry to identify and monitor the diabetic population will be implemented to improve attendance and follow-up at PCCs. Through this project it is intended to increase diabetes awareness in the low resource communities.
ApproachThe primary care team, physicians and nurses are to attend workshops, which will enable them to implement CPG. The community health workers will be assigned to a separate training program where they will develop leadership skills in conducting health education, disease management and liaising to the primary care team. Additionally the whole team will be trained to become diabetes educators, where peers will receive training to participate in the self-management education workshops.An Information and Communication Technology system will be built to serve as a platform, which provides support to the Primary Care Clinics in order to monitor those who are diagnosed with diabetes. In addition to this, a Diabetes Registry will be implemented with the aim of improving diabetes care as this system can track individual patients. The DR will be used as a surveillance tool to monitor trends of disease and support planning.MHealth interventions with reminders for clinic appointment and medications pick up will be implemented for the people listed in the DR. To collect, manage and analyse data a special application will be developed, and this software will allow surveillance of high risk patients.To increase awareness in the low resource community settings, different initiatives will be conducted such as local health campaigns, posters, flyers, radio, dance contest, walking, and potential partners for advocacy groups will be identified.
Results at completion:• 20 PCCs strengthened in urban areas• 179 physicians and nurses trained in diabetes prevention and management and self-management education• 112 CHWs trained to provide diabetes care and education• 135 diabetes educators trained and certified• 50 peers trained to provide self-management education• Diabetes registry based on EMR installed at targeted clinics• 80 self-management education workshops conducted• 80% of diabetic population included in the EMR