Telephone or Visit-Based Community Health Worker Care Management for Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Study

Authors: Barbara J. Turner, Yuanyuan Liang, Ambili Ramachandran & Ramin Poursani

The best mode of CHW-supported health care for low income, Hispanic patients remains an understudied area of research. Barbara Turner and colleagues assessed health outcomes among Texan, Hispanic patients experiencing Diabetes Mellitus. They followed patients for six months following care management received from CHWs either by telephone only, during clinic visits without calls, during clinic visits with calls, or during multiple visits with or without calls. Patients receiving telephone based care required 150 days longer to achieve control over their diabetes when compared to those who received clinic visits without calls.