Evaluation of a visiting credentialled diabetes educator program in remote western Queensland, Australia

Background: Within western Queensland (WQ), Australia, diabetes is the leading cause of potentially preventable hospitalisations and, in some areas, diabetes prevalence is up to 20%. To address inequity of access to diabetes-related services in remote areas of WQ, a visiting credentialled diabetes educator program (VCDEP) was developed. Using a fly-in, fly-out model of service delivery and supporting telehealth services, upskilling of rural primary healthcare professionals occurred and credentialled diabetes educator (CDE) accessibility increased in WQ. This study objectively measured the impact of the VCDEP. Methods: Practice report data from five representative VCDEP practices and five non-VCDEP practices were analysed using Pearson Chi-squared tests to ascertain associations in reporting of blood pressure (BP), HbA1c, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), total cholesterol, microalbumin, body mass index (BMI) and foot and eye examinations, as well as improvements in BP, HbA1c, eGFR, total cholesterol, microalbumin and BMI measures at two set date points. Results: In practices involved in the VCDEP, aggregated data indicated significant increases in reporting of HbA1c (P ≤ 0.001), eGFR (P ≤ 0.001), total cholesterol (P = 0.022) and foot assessments (P = 0.015). In contrast, aggregated data from practices not involved in the VCDEP identified significant decreases in the reporting of BP and eye examinations between October 2019 and March 2021 (P = 0.034 and P = 0.007 respectively). Decreases in reporting of HbA1c, eGFR, microalbumin, BMI and foot examinations were also found, although these did not reach statistical significance. Concernedly, across practices overall, HbA1c levels have risen, with a significant increase in the percentage of people with diabetes having a HbA1c >53 mmol/mol (7%) and >86 mmol/mol (10%) in March 2021 compared with October 2019 (P = 0.012 and P < 0.001 respectively). Conclusion: Reporting of key diabetes indicators is greater among practices participating in the VCDEP than among practices not involved in the VCDEP. Further investigation and resource provision are required to address rising HbA1c levels in rural WQ, with a particular focus on the impacts of health literacy, social determinants of health and workforce challenges.