Patient Navigators Facilitate Successful Chronic Care, Study Finds

Patient navigators helped deliver successful care to diabetes patients in a Cleveland Clinic and Accenture study, suggesting the use of community-based health support systems can be both safe and effective.

Advertisement

For the study, the two organizations worked with the nonprofit Patient Navigation Institute to train and deploy certified patient navigators. Navigators were community members trained to work with diabetes patients through clinical interventions, patient education, blood sugar management and appointment attendance, according to a news release.

Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!

Patients assisted by the study navigators on average experienced a 32 percent improvement in abnormal blood sugar levels and completed self-measured metrics 52 percent more often than before the study. Patients also attended all types of healthcare appointments 50 percent more often after connecting with navigators.

Researchers concluded navigators are a low-cost way to improve chronic care management in community settings.

More Articles on Quality:

Reducing Readmissions to Reduce Penalties: Where to Begin?

9 Statistics on High vs. Low-Cost Hospitals & Quality

Patient Safety Tool: Leadership Guide to Implement Safe Practices

Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit

Advertisement

Next Up in Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

Advertisement

Comments are closed.