Personalized Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Program with Remote Patient Monitoring or Traditional Tracking for Adults in the Birmingham Area

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a diabetes self-management education and support DSMES program in the Birmingham area, focusing on individuals living with diabetes or prediabetes. The study compares two ways of tracking health information during the program traditional paper trackers and a remote patient monitoring RPM platform. This pilot study aims to understand how these methods impact diabetes management and support in a faith-based community setting. Participants will join a free, 3-month DSMES program hosted by MedsPLUS Consulting, consisting of twice-monthly sessions covering topics like physical activity, nutrition, coping, and reducing complications. They will be randomly assigned to either the traditional cohort using paper trackers for blood pressure and blood sugar or the RPM cohort using Bluetooth-enabled devices that automatically upload data to a mobile platform. Community health workers will provide support and monitor progress by contacting participants outside the sessions. Before starting, participants complete questionnaires about their diabetes self-management behaviors and knowledge and undergo biometric screenings including blood A1C, blood pressure, cholesterol, and BMI measurements. These assessments are repeated after the program. The study tracks changes in these health measures over 12 weeks. Focus groups and interviews with participants, community health workers, and program leaders will explore barriers to implementing this faith-based DSMES program with RPM. Total participation lasts about three months.

Empowering Faith-based Communities to Provide Personalized Diabetes Self-management Education and Support (DSMES) in the Magic City