Evaluation of a comprehensive diabetes disease management program: progress in the struggle for sustained behavior change

The successful management of diabetes with a goal of achieving near-normoglycemia requires patients to make multiple lifestyle changes as part of an intensive, complex, and coordinated therapeutic regimen aimed at reducing the risk of complications associated with the disease. The difficulty in creating and sustaining these lifestyle behavior changes is a major stumbling block in achieving the desired therapeutic goal. An underlying assumption of comprehensive disease management is that regular, personal contact with nurses and ancillary health professionals will facilitate these lifestyle behavior changes for program participants. The results of a survey of self-reported data from 750 participants in a comprehensive diabetes management program, reported on here, show strong perceptions of positive behavior change over the broad range of medical and lifestyle treatment areas associated with effective management of diabetes. These results suggest that diabetes disease management programs are an effective a...