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Leaving the responsibility of booking appointments to parents in a paediatric diabetes outpatient clinic resulted in a deterioration of metabolic control
Author(s) -
Kofoed PoulErik,
Thomsen Jane
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
pediatric diabetes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.678
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1399-5448
pISSN - 1399-543X
DOI - 10.1111/pedi.12968
Subject(s) - medicine , intervention (counseling) , diabetes mellitus , outpatient clinic , metabolic control analysis , pediatrics , family medicine , endocrinology , nursing
It is recommended that children and adolescents with diabetes are seen at paediatric diabetes clinics at least four times a year. This study examined whether an increased involvement of parents in planning the contacts would help them take more responsibility and thus lead to better metabolic control. Methods Patients with type 1 diabetes at the paediatric outpatient clinic at Lillebaelt Hospital were included in a before‐after study. During the intervention, the parents were asked to contact the clinic whenever they needed help or wanted to book a consultation. HbA1c levels 1 year before, at the start of, and 1 year after the intervention were compared, as were the number of consultations and telephone contacts during the year prior to and during the intervention. Results 139 patients were included in the analyses. The mean HbA1c levels were 1 year before the start of the intervention (HbA1c‐1) 61.8 mmol/mol (7.8%), and at the start of the intervention (HbA1c‐2) 59.9 mmol/mol (7.6%) ( P = .01), and after the end of the intervention (HbA1c‐3) 63.1 mmol/mol (7.9%) (HbA1c‐2 vs HbA1c‐3: P = .0002). During the year prior to the intervention, the mean number of consultations was 5.8, and during the intervention period, the mean was 4.4 ( P = .0001); the mean number of telephone calls was 1.8 and 3.8 ( P < .0001), respectively. Conclusion Children were seen less often when parents were responsible for booking appointments, leading to higher HbA1c levels indicating that frequent consultations are essential for good metabolic control and cannot be replaced by frequent telephone contacts.