Diabetes Self-Management Goals in an Internal Medicine Clinic: A Quality Improvement Initiative

The Defense Health Agency directs that military Medical Treatment Facilities provide Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) services within its Internal Medicine and other Primary Care clinics. Development and documentation of self-management goals for chronic diseases within the electronic medical record (EMR) is a PCMH accreditation standard through the Joint Commission. This quality improvement project aimed to implement a structured approach to creating and documenting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals for patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in a military-affiliated Internal Medicine clinic. Although SMART goals have demonstrated clinically meaningful reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), the effects of SMART goals on patient perceptions of their health and self-management of their DM have not been fully studied.

This study voluntarily enrolled 62 patients aged 19-90 with DM and HbA1c >8% (64 mmol/mol) within the previous 6-month period from a military-affiliated Internal Medicine clinic. Exclusion criteria included patients following with a subspecialist for DM management. Enrolled patients developed and discussed SMART goals with their physician using a standardized goal-setting tool for self-management of their DM. These goals were documented in the EMR for longitudinal follow-up between patients, physicians, and the clinic care team. HbA1c and patient self-reported health perceptions were evaluated before and after 3 months of participation in this intervention. Data analysis used a 2-tailed paired samples t-test. The study protocol underwent Institutional Review Board examination and was determined not to constitute research.

Of 62 patients enrolled, 36 completed post-surveys and were included in the statistical analysis. Results showed a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c levels, with a mean decrease from 9.18% (77.2 mmol/mol) to 7.84% (62.7 mmol/mol) (P < 0.001). Patient-reported perceptions of their health, goal-oriented behaviors, perceived ability to influence health through lifestyle changes, and responsibility for self-management of their DM did not change significantly.

This quality improvement project further highlights the importance of self-management goals in improving biomedical outcomes and disease management markers. Despite a significant improvement in HbA1c, no changes were observed in patient-reported health perceptions. Overall, patients indicated high adherence and positive feedback with this intervention. The goal-setting tool and standardized documentation strategy as implemented are a viable strategy for satisfying a PCMH accreditation standard. Future studies could address limitations such as single-site design, response rates, and review specific effects on perceptions with the use of validated survey instruments. Similar self-management interventions can be applied to other chronic diseases where daily lifestyle choices influence outcomes.