(19.02) Empowering Primary Care Clinicians: Harnessing Diabetes Technology for Improved Patient Care

Primary care providers manage 75% of endocrine diseases without direct support or guidance from endocrinology care team members. This is a result of the lack of endocrinologists in the U.S to support the high volume of patients living with endocrine conditions. In a continuously evolving landscape of diabetes management, clinicians are challenged with practicing evidence-based medicine while attempting to stay up to date on the most current clinical guidelines and emerging technologies. To address this, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology developed Advanced Diabetes Technologies – Conversations and Collaborations, an educational intervention aimed at bridging the knowledge and skills gap between primary care and endocrinology by equipping adult primary care clinicians with evidence-based knowledge and enhanced competence in utilizing diabetes technologies to guide and modify treatment approaches for patients with diabetes.

Methods:

A needs assessment was developed to ensure the content was learner-centric to address real-world practice needs and empower clinicians with the knowledge and skills required to integrate diabetes technologies into their practice. By doing so, clinicians would be better prepared to tailor treatment approaches and improve patient adherence.

 Objectives were to:

1. Assess the differences and appropriate settings for CGMs, connected pens, insulin pumps, and integrated devices, enabling clinicians to make informed decisions on device selection and usage.

2. Identify interventions that can add value to A1c interpretation and maintain "in-target" glucose values, ultimately enhancing patient adherence and reducing dysglycemia.

3. Incorporate diabetes technologies that are effective in managing patients with diabetes in special populations and individualized needs.

The content explored all areas of diabetes technologies from implementation to report interpretation through a multifaceted and interactive learning experience including online education modules as pre-work prior to live education sessions, a blend of didactic, case-based, branching scenarios, and enduring resources that summarized key takeaways.

Results:

Final outcomes demonstrated significant gains in knowledge and skills in over 3,200 learner’s clinical strategies in all areas of the diabetes technology curriculum. The outcomes supported the utility of Continuing Medical Education, with significant posttest score gains, increased confidence in clinical skills, and plans to incorporate new strategies in clinical practice across all areas of the curriculum. 100% of the respondents reported this activity increased their performance. The program was successful in connecting primary care with a comprehensive curriculum in diabetes technology, and the integration of unique design elements helped breakdown any preconceived barriers between learners and the content.

Discussion/Conclusion:

Satisfaction surveys were rated excellent and program revealed where continued knowledge gaps need to be addressed including thyroid, insulin pump technology, diabetes management in pregnancy, thyroid cancer, nutrition, and PCOS.