A seven-year study on an integrated hospital-community diabetes management program in Chinese patients with diabetes

Aims: To assess whether an integrated hospital-community diabetes management program could improve major cardiovascular risk factor control among patients with diabetes in real-world clinical settings. Methods: 985 adults with diabetes in the Shanghai Taopu community health service center were enrolled at baseline and 907 subjects completed the follow-up. The follow-up levels of the metabolic profiles were assessed by their averages during the follow up period. Results: After a mean 7-year follow-up period, heamoglobin A1c, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels decreased by 0.6%, 5.7 mmHg, and 1.5 mmHg, respectively (all P < 0.001). There was a non-significant difference in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while high density lipoprotein cholesterol increased 1.9 mg/dL and triglycerides decreased 28.3 mg/dL, respectively (all P < 0.001). The percentage of patients with diabetes who met any one of three Chinese Diabetes Society goals (heamoglobin A1c <7.0%, blood pressure <140/80 mmHg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <100 mg/dL) increased from 58.2% to 70.1%. The chronic diabetes complication screening rates (diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy) have significantly increased, from almost zero to 12-78%. Conclusions: This long-term program has increased the proportions of attaining major cardiovascular risk factors control goals and diabetic chronic complication screening rates among patients with diabetes. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Primary Care Diabetes Europe.