November 21, 2012
The value of shared medical appointments (SMAs) and peer support for Veterans with diabetes was the focus of a recent article in U.S. Medicine, "Peer Support Significantly Improves Compliance in Veterans with Diabetes."
The article was an offshoot of a recently-held media roundtable focusing on diabetes and obesity, during which investigators
addressed how both peer support and SMAs can contribute to improved disease management. Shared medical appointments are a multidisciplinary, team-based approach to care
that draws on expertise from diabetes case managers, primary care physicians, and the patient in order to improve diabetes self-management. In addition to
SMAs, roundtable participants discussed the efficacy of peer support in controlling blood
sugar levels for male Veterans with diabetes, and weight loss as it relates to diabetes
prevention.
Participants in the roundtable included Joel Kupersmith, M.D., VA's Chief Research & Development Officer;David Aron, M.D., M.S., Associate Director of the VA/HS&D's Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) Center for Implementation Practice and Research Support; VA HSR&D investigator Michele Heisler, M.D., M.P.A., with the VA Center for Clinical Management Research at the VA Ann Arbor Health Care System; and William Yancy, M.D., M.H.Sc., VA HSR&D investigator with the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VA Medical Center.
