MCDIN - Diabetes Tools & Resources

This section provides you with the resources and tools in use by your Drawing of a workbench

colleagues across New England to make clinical guidelines and other quality improvement tools work for their practice. Diabetes self-care checklists, culturally competent patient education materials, data tracking tools, and staff training resources are among the many goodies you will find here.

You can also search this section for diabetes resources & tools that are proven to work, and to find other tools that clinicians are using to meet the growing demands of accrediting and regulatory bodies.

Diabetes Articles of Interest:

The following articles are posted on Medscape. In order to view these, you must have a Medscape User Name & Password. Click here to register with Medscape.

Risk of Eating Disorders Increased Among Adolescent Girls with Type 1 Diabetes:
Results of a case-control study released recently suggests that adolescent girls with Type 1 diabetes are at increased risk for developing eating disorders.

American Optometric Association Partners with HCFA to increase awareness of diabetes blindness:
The American Optometric Association and the Health Care Financing Administration have teamed up in an effort to increase the dilated eye examination rate among Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes.

Hypertensive Diabetics Require More Aggressive Lowering of Blood Pressure:
The blood pressure target for patients with diabetes is 130/85 mm Hg. According to a Clinical Advisory issued by the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, most diabetic hypertensives will require more than one medication to achieve this goal.

Endocrinologists To Develop Guidelines, Physician Education on Nutraceuticals:
Nutraceuticals may have a role in a comprehensive nutritional program to optimize health. but much caution is needed, according to a report issued by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinolgists Ninth Annual Meeting and Clinical Congress.

RESOURCES
Massachusetts Diabetes Control Program (PDF file)	Diabetes At-Risk, Vision, and Flu Brochures available for download in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
American Diabetes Association	Order WIZDOM KIT for diabetic youth.
"Feet Can Last A Lifetime": A Health Care Provider's Guide to Preventing Diabetes Foot Problems:	This National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive & Kidney Diseases "Feet Can Last a Lifetime" kit is designed for primary care and other health care providers who counsel people with diabetes about preventive health care practices, particularly foot care. "Feet Can Last a Lifetime" is designed to help you implement four basic steps for preventive foot care in your primary care practice. All of the materials in this kit may be reproduced without permission and shared with colleagues and patients. Feel free to duplicate the materials for your practice. Complete the order form to obtain more booklets for your patients, or other items of interest.
Please note: The kit is currently available via the web. A new print version to be released in the summer of 2000.
Diabetes Numbers At-A-Glance Chart	A reference tool/pocket guide for health care providers from the National Diabetes Education Program which lists all of the normal blood glucose, blood cholesterol, and blood pressure numbers for all types of diabetes.
Guiding Principles for Diabetes Care Spanish Language Version	The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) developed the Guiding Principles for Diabetes Care for health care providers and people with diabetes and their families. These guiding principles outline the seven essential components of quality diabetes care and treatment. These principles can be used by managed care and employer organizations to determine diabetes care and treatment service options in health plans, assess quality, and establish diabetes care principles.
Docs Need SOC's (Systems of Care)	QI Tools for Primary Care - An invaluable downloadable resource for anyone wanting to implement organizational QI. DOCS need SOCS is the final report of the West Virginia Primary Care Association Quality Improvement Project.
20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors (Spanish Language Version) 20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors (English Language Version)	AHRQ's Spanish language version of the new fact sheet with practical tips to help people protect themselves from errors in their health care. 20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors has specific, research - based recommendations on preventing medical errors related to medicines, hospital stays, & surgery.
Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse	The Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse, a statewide resource funded by the MA Department of Public Health, distributes health promotion materials on high-priority health topics. Materials are available free of charge to assist in the health promotion efforts of individuals, groups and communities in Massachusetts.

"Sharing approaches...improving lives"

Welcome to Diabetes Resources & Tools:

Massachusetts Chronic Disease Improvement Network