Effects of diabetes self-management programs on time-to-hospitalization among patients with type 2 diabetes: A survival analysis model

Objective: This study compared time-to-hospitalization among subjects enrolled in different diabetes self-management programs (DSMP). We sought to determine whether the interventions delayed the occurrence of any acute event necessitating hospitalization. Methods: Electronic medical records (EMR) were obtained for 376 adults enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) self-management programs. All study participants had uncontrolled diabetes and were randomized into either: personal digital assistant (PDA), Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), combined PDA and CDSMP (COM), or usual care (UC) groups. Subjects were followed for a maximum of two years. Time-to-hospitalization was measured as the interval between study enrollment and the occurrence of a diabetes-related hospitalization. Results: Subjects enrolled in the CDSMP-only arm had significantly prolonged time-to-hospitalization (Hazard ratio: 0.10; p= 0.002) when compared to subjects in the control arm. Subjects in the PDA-only and combined PDA and CDSMP arms showed no improvements in comparison to the control arm. Conclusion: CDSMP can be effective in delaying time-to-hospitalization among patients with T2DM. Practice implications: Reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization, particularly inpatient hospitalization is a key strategy to improving the quality of health care and lowering associated health care costs. The CDSMP offers the potential to reduce time-to-hospitalization among T2DM patients.