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Abstracts / European Journal of Integrative Medicine 7 (2015) 679–688
Feasibility of using facilitated social prescription to improve the health outcomes for those with Type 2 Diabetes and those at risk of diabetes Nicholas Herbert a , Karen Pilkington a , Damien Ridge a , Michael Dixon b , Derek King c , Marie Polley a,∗ a
University of Westminster, United Kingdom Valley Integrated Centre for Health, United Kingdom c London School of Economics and Social Policy, United Kingdom E-mail address:
[email protected] (M. Polley). b Culm
Introduction: The cost of direct care for diabetes in the UK is rising; in 2010/11 this figure was around £9.8 billion. Evidence shows that lifestyle changes can improve patient outcomes, reduce this cost burden and prevent progression from pre-diabetes to type 2 diabetes. Engaging patients, however, to make and sustain these changes is a continuing challenge. This project evaluated an on-site Health Advisor Service (HAS), aimed at supporting type 2 diabetic and prediabetic patients to make positive changes in diet and physical activity, therefore
improving their knowledge and ability to manage their own health. Patients were referred to the HAS at three general practices in Devon. Preliminary results: The feasibility and acceptability of using a health advisor in a GP practices has been evaluated. The HAS appears to be providing the majority of patients with increased knowledge, confidence and skills to make positive health-related changes. Tailored, on-going 1:1 support encourages patients to change habits. As a result physiological parameters for many patients are improving over 9 months. Discussion: Improvements in patient activation levels are highly clinically relevant as activation levels are predictors of clinical outcomes, cost of healthcare, likelihood of attending A&E, needing hospitalisation and engaging in health changes. There are some limitations to these data as there is no comparison group and for some physiological measures, there is quite a lot of missing data at 9 months. Analysis of the possible bias on the final data set is in progress. Continued follow-up of this cohort through to 2 years is also important for determining whether patients can continue to maintain their improved HbA1c, activation levels and other health parameters. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2015.07.024