Background: The project aims to establish an interprofessional diabetes team within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) to increase patient access and improve the health of underserved patients with diabetes.
Methods: The program is a community-academic practice partnership implemented in a FQHC in the Southeastern United States. The program utilizes an interprofessional diabetes care model (in-person and telehealth) with a nurse practitioner, pharmacist, population health specialist, certified medical assistant, dietician, and primary care team to provide comprehensive diabetes care focused on treatment optimization, self-management, and identification of medical and community resources.
Results: A total of 175 patients were seen from November 2020 to October 2021. The median (IQR) A1C at baseline was 9.6% (8.4-11.5%) versus 8.6% (7.0-10.0%) at follow-up (p<0.001) . The median BMI decreased by 0.4 kg/m3. Improvements were noted in diabetes quality metrics (Table 1) . Patient, primary care provider, and student surveys demonstrate 100% satisfaction with the diabetes team.
Conclusions: A community-academic practice partnership supports comprehensive diabetes management and improved health outcomes. Next steps include expansion of the program to additional practice sites and continued data analysis on patient outcomes, cost, and satisfaction.
T.O.Fowler: None. J.Sterrett: None. L.T.Collins: None. A.D.Poole: None. E.Weeda: None. R.A.Dubose-morris: None. K.Roever: None.
The Duke Endowment (6878-SP)
