Date Available

12-8-2016

Year of Publication

2016

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Committee Chair

Dr. Lynne Jensen

Committee Member

Dr. Judith Daniels

Committee Member

Dr. Michelle Pendleton

Abstract

Purpose: This purpose of this project was to evaluate preventive screening practices and adherence to guidelines for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) as recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in the primary care setting. The specific aims were to: 1) determine the percentage of patients who received recommended screenings from the ADA, 2) determine the percentage of patients who received recommended screenings from the USPSTF, and 3) determine if the proportion of patients to receive the recommended screenings met established benchmarks set by Healthy People 2020 (HP2020).

Methods: A retrospective medical record review to assess the screening and management of patients with T2DM was performed. The medical records were reviewed for screening of ADA and USPSTF recommendations during routine office visits. A random sample of 100 patient medical records meeting inclusion criteria were chosen for review. Patient demographics and screenings were recorded in a spreadsheet and exported to SPSS to analyze the data.

Results: The results demonstrated that screening rates for hemoglobin A1C, cholesterol, obesity, blood pressure, tobacco use, and kidney function met or exceeded HP2020 goals. Preventive services that did not meet HP2020 goals included screening for cancers, osteoporosis, vaccinations, foot exams, and eye exams.

Conclusion: This study offers insight into possible gaps in managing T2DM in primary care, as well as areas that need further research. Providers should screen patients based on clinical practice guidelines to reduce the risk of developing complications associated with T2DM and prevention of other comorbidities. Additional research with larger, more diverse samples should be performed, as well as provider and patient focus groups to examine barriers in screening patients with T2DM in primary care.

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