More communication = better blood sugar in Type 2 diabetes

150 veterans with type 2 diabetes in Pittsburgh were part of a randomized trial recently reported in Diabetes Care in which half of them got basic disease management (monthly calls from a nurse practitioner) and half got that PLUS home telemonitoring of blood glucose, blood pressure and weight. All the patients improved over 6 months, but the exchange of information between the patient and the provider resulted in a bigger drop - over 1% more of HbA1C. That's more than you usually get from adding a second or third medication.

Once again, the more the communication between the patient and the provider, the better the outcomes. Hats off to Drs. Stone, DeRubertis and company!  Now, the trick is to find the most efficient and effective way to do it.