Patient navigators helped deliver successful care to diabetes patients in a Cleveland Clinic and Accenture study, suggesting the use of community-based health support systems can be both safe and effective.
For the study, the two organizations worked with the nonprofit Patient Navigation Institute to train and deploy certified patient navigators. Navigators were community members trained to work with diabetes patients through clinical interventions, patient education, blood sugar management and appointment attendance, according to a news release.
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Patients assisted by the study navigators on average experienced a 32 percent improvement in abnormal blood sugar levels and completed self-measured metrics 52 percent more often than before the study. Patients also attended all types of healthcare appointments 50 percent more often after connecting with navigators.
Researchers concluded navigators are a low-cost way to improve chronic care management in community settings.
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