Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

IIR 17-221 – HSR Study

 
IIR 17-221
Using Peer Navigators to increase access to VA and community resources for Veterans with diabetes-related distress
Mark E. Kunik, MD MPH
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX
Houston, TX
Funding Period: May 2019 - September 2023

Abstract

Diabetes-related distress, the negative emotional impact of living with diabetes (DM), is a powerful predictor of psychosocial functioning, treatment adherence, and glycemic control. Practice guidelines and consensus statements call for innovative approaches to address DM-related distress. Despite availability of self- management and psychosocial interventions to reduce DM related distress, these interventions are underutilized due to constraints in time, finances, motivation, and resource-awareness. Interventions that leverage traditional medical care and community-based health promotion programs (e.g., DM self- management education (DSME) programs) may enhance the ability of Veterans with DM to engage with a broad and accessible range of resources. Ensuring that Veterans with DM receive adequate self-care support requires interventions that (1) attend to both medical care and diabetes-related distress and (2) improve Veterans' access and engagement with DSME and traditional medical/mental care. Integrating VA and community health services and DSME resources is innovative and affords great opportunities to enhance Veteran outcomes and build VA community partnerships. Engagement of Veterans and community organizations in developing and delivering care responds to the 2016 HSR&D high-priority domain of Health Care Systems Change and aligns with the 2017 VA Under Secretary's priorities of Greater Choice (offering community and VA resources), Efficiency (community and VA coordination), and Timeliness (telephone delivery). This community-VA partnership and three-month Veteran peer coaching intervention (iNSPiRED) aims to enhance psychological well-being and diabetes self-management behavior in Veterans with DM by facilitating access to and use of healthcare and health promotion resources. The intervention focuses on reducing cognitive and practical barriers to use of services by engaging Veteran peers as coaches and navigators, and by encouraging engagement in health promotion and healthcare services in the VA and the greater community. A secondary goal, integral to the main goal, is to strengthen and integrate VHA partnerships with community- based organizations and Veteran Support Organizations (VSO's). This is a single-blind, parallel group randomized trial of a 3-month peer navigation intervention for Veterans with DM and elevated levels of DM-related distress. We will recruit Veterans with DM-related distress through existing help-seeking channels within and outside of the VA in partnership with community agencies, VSO's, and the Houston VAMC. Eligible Veterans will be assigned at random to the iNSPiRED intervention (peer navigation and coaching) versus usual care (written resource materials and encouragement to continue follow- up with healthcare providers). Consistent with the focus on the overall emotional impact of DM, the PRIMARY OUTCOME is DM-related distress (DM Distress Scale). In previous studies the DDS has shown strong relationships with psychological symptoms, self-management behaviors, and objective measures of glycemic control. SECONDARY OUTCOMES include anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale), depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-8), DM self-management behaviors (DM Self- Management Scale), and self-reported use and new use of VA or community resources. In addition to participant-level outcomes, we will also assess STAKEHOLDER OUTCOMES through a mixed methods process evaluation. Our objective will be to measure the impact of stakeholder engagement activities on development and sustainability of VA-community partnerships, trust and communication, and capacity building. Assessment of primary and secondary endpoints will occur at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6 months. If this project meets intended goals, we will partner with VHA Office of Community Engagement and VHA Specialty Care to implement the intervention for DM and other chronic diseases..

External Links for this Project

NIH Reporter

Grant Number: I01HX002580-01A2
Link: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9720528


Dimensions for VA

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

Learn more about Dimensions for VA.

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.     Search Dimensions for this project

PUBLICATIONS:


Journal Articles

  1. Cully JA, Hundt NE, Fletcher T, Sansgiry S, Zeno D, Kauth MR, Kunik ME, Sorocco K. Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression in Community Clinics: A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial. Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.). 2024 Mar 1; 75(3):237-245. [view]
  2. Mishra RK, Park C, Momin AS, Rafaei NE, Kunik M, York MK, Najafi B. Care4AD: A Technology-Driven Platform for Care Coordination and Management: Acceptability Study in Dementia. Gerontology. 2022 Sep 12; 69(2):227-238. [view]
  3. Chen GJ, Kunik ME, Marti CN, Choi NG. Cost-effectiveness of Tele-delivered behavioral activation by Lay counselors for homebound older adults with depression. BMC psychiatry. 2022 Oct 17; 22(1):648. [view]
  4. Choi NG, Choi BY, Marti CN, Kunik ME. Depression/anxiety symptoms and self-reported difficulty managing medication regimen among community-dwelling older adults. General hospital psychiatry. 2022 Jul 15; 78:50-57. [view]
  5. Boykin DM, Wray LO, Funderburk JS, Holliday S, Kunik ME, Kauth MR, Fletcher TL, Mignogna J, Roberson RB, Cully JA. Leveraging the ExpandNet framework and operational partnerships to scale-up brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in VA primary care clinics. Journal of clinical and translational science. 2022 Jul 20; 6(1):e95. [view]
  6. Michot AP, Evans TL, Vasudevan MM, Bradford A, Hundt NE, Christie IC, True G, Kunik ME. The case for screening for diabetes distress, depression, anxiety. Journal of Health Psychology. 2024 Apr 1; 13591053241241841. [view]
  7. Kunik ME, Evans TL, Christie IC, True G, Bradford A, Vasudevan MM, Hundt NE. The impact of veteran support and resources for diabetes (iNSPiRED) on diabetes distress: Results from a randomized, parallel-group trial. General hospital psychiatry. 2023 Oct 2; 85:55-62. [view]
  8. Dawson DB, Mohankumar R, Puran D, Nevedal A, Maguen S, Timko C, Kunik ME, Breland JY. Weight Management Treatment Representations: A Novel Use of the Common Sense Model. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2023 Dec 1; 30(4):884-892. [view]


DRA: Mental, Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders, Diabetes and Other Endocrine Conditions
DRE: Treatment - Observational, TRL - Applied/Translational
Keywords: Models of Care
MeSH Terms: None at this time.

Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.