“Using Social Media (Blog, Twitter and U-Tube) To Increase Participation,

Understanding and Use of Diabetes Self Management Education Resources

Among VA High Risk Diabetic Patients.” Dr. Boby D. Theckedath, M.D. (P.I.) CJLFHC, Dr. Tariq Hassan, M.D. CJLFHC, Dr. Edwin J. Zarling, M.D, CJLFHC, Dr. Tom Muscarello,

Ph D, DePaul University, Tom Hansen, M.S., CJLFHC, John D. Rinkema, FISO, CJLFHC, David R. Donohue, M.A., Qualitative Technologies, Inc., Janine Stoll, R.N. CJLFHC, Rosemary Trotta, NP, CJLFHC, Kim Cannon, R.N., Milwaukee VAMCPROJECT CHALLENGE

● The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, North Chicago, IL in 2006 had 625 high-risk diabetes patients defined as those with a HbA1c of > 9.0% of whom 48% either dropped out from, or did not participate in a prescribed VA diabetes self-management education programs The remaining 52% of these high-risk patients participated by attending a one-day self-management education seminar. They showed an overall HbA1c improvement of 1.13% in one year, and those with an HbA1c of 9.0%, demonstrated a 3% improvement after one year. In 2010, the Lovell Health Center’s is representative of a continuing national 48% drop out or non-compliance education level across 153 VA health care centers.● New education and communication solutions using social media( Blog, Twitter, You Tube and Facebook) are needed to engage, educate and support VA diabetes education and treatment interventions to successfully engage non-compliant high risk (>9.0% A1C) VA diabetes patients to become more engaged and knowledgeable about their diabetes treatment.

PROPOSED PILOT RESEARCH PROJECT APPROACHResearch goal is to build a (Blog, and use Twitter, Facebook and You Tube) tools to engage high risk ( >9.0% A1c) VA diabetic patients and measure results through EMR active participation in diabetes treatment regimes that increase patient compliance and improve access to health care. ● Establish new levels of understanding and communication between patient and providers by testing Social Media applications as a new communications and educational channels.● Enhance health access, quality of life and safety for all stakeholdersOperational Capability to be Provided:1 Increase VA diabetes patient knowledge, understanding of disease management and treatment ownership.2. Identify socio-demographic factors including age, ethnic origin (fear, stress, worry etc) impacting diabetes treatment, safety and satisfaction. 3. Assist medical staff in treatment planning and serving effectively all VA diabetic patient groups.

TECHNICAL APPROACH ● New effort to modify principles pioneered in offeror research in developing digital health education/communication at University of IL at Chicago, Northwestern University and University of Wisconsin, Madison. ● Technology involved: Digital education and communication , SPSS analysis, use VA patient (EMR) electronic medical records 1. Determine patient parameters and levels of diabetes understanding2. Identify patients needs and comprehension of their disease state3. Use A1c, lipid levels, blood pressure, smoking cessation, body weight, and foot and eye status to measure variations of test and intervention VA patient groups. Also, text analysis software will measure patient social media communications to discover what discussion topics and issues are the most/least important to patients. 4. Integrate research information into medical case management practice

PROJECT DELIVERABLES● Survey methodology is an objective way of analyzing subjective patient data which allows assessment of reliability and validity.● Patient opinions, feelings and attitudes are not the stimulus, but the key.● There is great richness in the subjective experience of the individual. ● Generating testable hypotheses in the absence of theory (Then use scientific method to test the hypotheses.)● Uses qualitative /quantitative methods to allow respondents to say something about their own subjective attitudes that can be tested, measured and compared. ● Uses factor analysis, data reduction and induction to generate testable hypothesesDavid R Donohue, M.A. QTinc@alumni.northwestern.eduQualitative Technologies, Inc. , Milwaukee, WI 53214