Study: Phone Communication with Peer Helps Diabetes Patients

Phone calls with a peer who is going through the same self-management challenges helped Diabetes patients manage their conditions, revealed a new research from the University of Michigan Health System which was based on a peer partnership established by the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System and the University of Michigan Medical School.

Study

Each peer pair received initial brief training in peer communication skills. They were expected to communicate by telephone at least once a week about their mutual efforts to improve Diabetes control.

Results

The peer partner program produced lower glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels after six months among men with uncontrolled Diabetes. Results also showed that the activity improved blood sugar levels in Diabetes patients better than those who used traditional nurse care management services alone.

Comments from Study Lead Author Michele Heisler

"Our model was testing the hypothesis that a good way to activate patients was to give them some skills and encouragement to both help and be helped. Just as in education they say that the best way to learn something is to try to teach it."

"Our programme hoped to mobilize patients themselves to realize how much they themselves had to offer another person with Diabetes and enjoy the sense of meaning and pleasure that being needed and helping another can provide. That's why I think people did well – they were very motivated when they felt they were helping someone else."

The findings of the study are published in the October 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.