Where is the patient in diabetes performance measures? The case for including patient-centered and self-management...

Health policies are important determinants of clinician and patient behavior, and an important policy issue is what items are included in healthcare quality and performance measures. There is consensus that patient-centered care and self-management support are essential evidence-based components of good diabetes care. However, most major diabetes performance measures such as the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)/American Diabetes Association (ADA) Provider Recognition Program indexes have not included self-management or psychosocial items.

We review the case for and propose a set of patient-centered, self-management indicators to be included as a standard part of diabetes quality indicators. The proposed indicators include: patient self-management goal(s), measures of health behaviors (e.g., healthy eating, medication taking, physical activity, and smoking status), quality of life, and patient-centered collaborative care. We discuss the evidence and the concerns about patient-report measures and summarize successful incorporation of such patient-centered measures in other countries and by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE).

The adage that "what gets measured, gets done" applies to diabetes management and many other areas of healthcare. Inclusion of the proposed indicators in national diabetes performance measures would be consistent with Institute of Medicine (IOM), ADA, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes, and Needs (DAWN), AADE, and Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) recommendations. Such action would enhance both the priority and delivery of quality, patient-centered care, and diabetes self-management support.