Implementation of a pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary diabetes management team

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Cardiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus presents a significant public health challenge, particularly in Mississippi.
• Effective management strategies are crucial for improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare system burden.
• Multidisciplinary approaches can enhance the care of complex chronic conditions like diabetes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary diabetes management team (DMT).
• To assess the impact of the DMT on glycemic control and complication rates in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a consultation-driven DMT in optimizing diabetes care within a hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• A pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary diabetes management team (DMT) was established at a 564-bed medical center.
• The DMT focused initially on patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
• Postoperative serum blood glucose levels, sternal surgical-site infection rates, and hypoglycemia frequency were collected and analyzed from January 2008 to December 2010.

Main Results:

• The primary outcome measured was the number of patients with serum blood glucose concentrations exceeding 200 mg/dL.
• Secondary outcomes included rates of sternal surgical-site infection and the frequency of hypoglycemia.
• Data were collected before and after the implementation of the DMT to evaluate its success.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of the pharmacist-led, multidisciplinary DMT was associated with intensive glycemic control in CABG patients.
• The initiative demonstrated a decrease in the rate of sternal surgical-site infection.
• The study underscores the value of collaborative, pharmacist-integrated care models for managing diabetes in surgical populations.