Pilot and Feasibility Trials to Facilitate Use of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support to Improve Diabetes Care

September 2020 Council

Lead Division/Office

DEM

Point(s) of Contact

Christine Lee, M.D., M.S.

Executive Summary

Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is efficacious in improving clinical outcomes and quality of life, thereby decreasing avoidable health care utilization and cost. While DSMES is recommended for all people with diabetes, many do not receive DSMES. Multiple barriers exist on health system, provider and patient levels that have hindered more widespread use of DSMES. This initiative seeks to foster pilot and feasibility studies to develop and test innovative, pragmatic strategies to address such barriers to broaden the use of DSMES for people with diabetes. The goal of such research is to establish feasibility, acceptability and potential efficacy of these newly developed strategies to support the design and conduct of future largescale, definitive pragmatic trials with the goal of increasing provider referrals for and patients’ use of DSMES to improve the health of all people living with diabetes.