Clinical and humanistic impact of a strategy aimed at the metabolic control of outpatients with diabetes mellitus

Context: There are multiple methodologies for educating patients with diabetes, but they are carried out heterogeneously and intermittently with variable results, which do not always maintain the motivation and interest of the participants. Aims: To evaluate the clinical and humanistic impact of a strategy aimed at the metabolic control of outpatients with diabetes mellitus through process and outcome indicators. Methods: A strategy for the metabolic control of 53 outpatients with type 1 and 2 diabetes was implemented between September 2020 and November 2021 in the services of a Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Care Polyclinic. The strategy was based on the educational needs of the patients, the use of the theoretical model of personal development and social skills, the transtheoretical model of behavior change, and the design of educational interventions with participatory methods and techniques. Rubrics were used to assess the attitude and behavior of patients during the interventions. Metabolic control variables were measured before and after 14 months. Results: The strategy had a clinical impact of 89.2% after 14 months. 90.6% of patients achieved positive attitudinal and behavioral change, 94.3% had a high level of knowledge, 90.6% were adherent, 81.1% achieved metabolic control, and 96.2% showed satisfaction with the interventions provided. Conclusions: The implemented strategy based on behavioral models and behavioral change constitutes an effective method for patient metabolic control. The process and outcome indicators used to measure impact are effective tools for the continuous improvement of this type of strategy and constitute an innovative method of quality.