Patient perceptions of rural telehealth diabetes control program in Department of Veteran's Affairs

IF 3.1 3区医学 Q2 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Journal of Rural Health Pub Date : 2025-04-26 DOI:10.1111/jrh.70027

Chelsea Leonard PhD, Rachael R. Kenney MA, Adnan Syed BA, Edward Hess MS, Chris Wilson MS, Ashlyn Smith MMS, PA-C, Cynthia Schihl MSN, RN, Janee Lai MS-RN, MPH, MA, CDCES, CPT, Peter Reaven MD, Gauri Behari MD

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) is higher than in the general public, with nearly 25% of Veterans enrolled in VA care diagnosed with diabetes. VA cares for over 2.7 million Veterans in rural areas who may face barriers to accessing specialty care for diabetes management. The goal of this study was to understand Veteran patient experiences with a novel telehealth diabetes program designed to improve diabetes care for Veterans in rural areas.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Veteran's experiences as part of a larger mixed methods evaluation of the VA Telediabetes program. We conducted semistructured interviews with rural Veterans enrolled in the program to understand their experiences and perceptions. We conducted an inductive-deductive content analysis to identify salient themes related to diabetes control, perceptions of telehealth for diabetes care, and previous experiences with diabetes management. Methods are described according to the SRQR checklist for qualitative research.

Findings

We conducted interviews with 26 rural Veterans enrolled in the Telediabetes program between April 2022 and March 2023 and identified three themes related to their experience in the program: (1) Telediabetes care is more frequent and comprehensive than previous diabetes care; (2) Telediabetes care is convenient and thorough, but there are some barriers; and (3) Patients describe that their diabetes control as better in Telediabetes program compared to diabetes management in primary care.

Conclusions

Veterans perceived that Telediabetes had a positive impact on their diabetes control and described the quality of care as excellent. Programs like Telediabetes bring together a group of interdisciplinary specialists to provide care for rural patients have the potential to alleviate barriers to specialty care in rural areas.

查看原文本刊更多论文

退伍军人事务部农村远程医疗糖尿病控制项目的患者认知

目的退伍军人事务部（VA）的糖尿病患病率高于一般公众，近25%的退伍军人在VA护理中被诊断患有糖尿病。退伍军人事务部照顾270多万农村地区的退伍军人，他们可能面临获得糖尿病管理专业护理的障碍。本研究的目的是了解退伍军人患者的经验与一个新的远程医疗糖尿病计划，旨在改善糖尿病护理的退伍军人在农村地区。方法我们对退伍军人的经历进行了定性评估，作为退伍军人事务部远程糖尿病项目更大的混合方法评估的一部分。我们对参加该项目的农村退伍军人进行了半结构化访谈，以了解他们的经历和看法。我们进行了一项归纳演绎内容分析，以确定与糖尿病控制、远程医疗对糖尿病护理的看法以及以往糖尿病管理经验相关的突出主题。根据SRQR检查表描述定性研究的方法。在2022年4月至2023年3月期间，我们对26名参加远程糖尿病项目的农村退伍军人进行了访谈，并确定了与他们在该项目中的经历相关的三个主题：(1)远程糖尿病护理比以前的糖尿病护理更频繁和全面；(2)远程糖尿病护理方便、彻底，但存在一定障碍；(3)患者认为远程糖尿病治疗的糖尿病控制效果优于初级保健治疗。结论退伍军人认为远程糖尿病对他们的糖尿病控制有积极的影响，并且认为远程糖尿病的护理质量很好。像远程糖尿病这样的项目汇集了一群跨学科的专家，为农村患者提供护理，这有可能减轻农村地区专科护理的障碍。

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来源期刊

Journal of Rural Health 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

6.10%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Rural Health, a quarterly journal published by the NRHA, offers a variety of original research relevant and important to rural health. Some examples include evaluations, case studies, and analyses related to health status and behavior, as well as to health work force, policy and access issues. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods studies are welcome. Highest priority is given to manuscripts that reflect scholarly quality, demonstrate methodological rigor, and emphasize practical implications. The journal also publishes articles with an international rural health perspective, commentaries, book reviews and letters.