Medical Nutrition Therapy in Non–Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Improves Clinical Outcome

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Methods

The study was implemented at a primary-care center and neighborhood health centers as a retrospective quality improvement audit. The process and outcome criteria for the audit are listed in the FIG. Audit criteria were developed using guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (4), (5). Body weight change was not listed as part of the criteria; however, it was recorded and evaluated for each patient.

Patients with NIDDM who received individual medical nutrition therapy from September 1991

Results and Discussion

Twenty-one subjects were monitored for the study. The process criteria (Figure) were completed in 19 (92%) patients.

Within 2 weeks, blood glucose levels had decreased an average of 41% in 15 patients (71%). At the end of the study period1, blood glucose levels had decreased 50% in 16 patients (76%). The total mean

Applications

An expanding scientific knowledge base links nutrition to health. What are now needed are clinical data verifying that provision of medical nutrition therapy leads to improved health and cost savings (10), (11). Dietitians can use continuous quality improvement audits to gather such information. Data about the process and outcomes of nutrition therapies in ambulatory care can be used in establishing regional and federal reimbursement policies.

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Cited by (13)

  • A single nutrition counseling session with a registered dietitian improves short-term clinical outcomes for rural Kentucky patients with chronic diseases

    2006, Journal of the American Dietetic Association
    Citation Excerpt :

    These data support our hypothesis that a single nutrition counseling session with an RD would improve clinical outcome measures of patients with type 2 diabetes and CVD on a subsequent visit to their physician. Other studies have shown that patients with type 2 diabetes had improved glycemic control and patients with CVD had lower cholesterol levels and reduced risk of CVD after receiving nutrition counseling from a dietitian (1-9). In our study, several important characteristics of retrospective outcomes research were evident.

  • How effective is medical nutrition therapy in diabetes care?

    2003, Journal of the American Dietetic Association
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