Resident-driven group medical visits for diabetes mellitus in an ethnically diverse clinic population

Group medical visits benefit both patients and providers. In this study, a family medicine resident physician initiated group medical visits for diabetes mellitus at a family medicine residency clinic with the cooperative health care clinic format. Patients were ethnically diverse; mostly of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. A registered dietician was present at most group visits, and topics discussed were patient driven. Thirteen patients participated over a nine-month period but data from only the seven patients who attended more than once was used for analysis to show changes over time. Data for all pre- and post-participation surveys collected were used (thirteen and nine, respectively). Non-laboratory measures, such as increased whole grain consumption, were more greatly affected than laboratory measures, such as hemoglobin A1C. Pre- and post-participation surveys revealed that most patients were concerned about general diabetes knowledge, diet and exercise, and group medical visits helped them increase knowledge of these topics. Major challenges of resident initiated group medical visits were scheduling and low patient attendance despite reminder systems.