Medical Education to Improve Diabetes Care and Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients

NCT07108426 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 84125324.4.1001.5335
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This clinical trial aims to evaluate whether a structured medical education strategy can improve the quality of care provided to hospitalized patients with diabetes or hyperglycemia. Internal medicine residents from four university hospitals in southern Brazil are assigned to two groups: an intervention group receiving a 30-minute online lecture and 30 days of educational follow-up via WhatsApp®, and a control group receiving no additional training. The primary goal is to assess changes in physicians' knowledge about inpatient glycemic control. Secondary goals include evaluating the quality of insulin prescriptions, rates of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and hospital length of stay.

Conditions

Diabete Type 2; Hyperglycemic Therapy; Medical Education; Telemedecine

Keywords

diabetes mellitus; telemedicine; medical education; hospital hyperglycemia; insulin therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Improvement in medical knowledge regarding inpatient hyperglycemia

  Medical knowledge will be assessed using a structured and validated questionnaire on hospital hyperglycemia and diabetes, administered before and 30 days after the intervention. The questionnaire includes multiple-choice clinical case scenarios related to glycemic monitoring, insulin use, treatment errors, and glycemic targets.

  Baseline and 30 days post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Occurrence of hyperglycemia

  Last 5 days of hospitalization during the 30-day intervention period

• Quality of insulin prescription

  Last 5 days of hospitalization during the 30-day intervention period

• Occurrence of hypoglycemia

  Last 5 days of hospitalization during the 30-day intervention period

• Time in glycemic target range

  Last 5 days of hospitalization during the 30-day intervention period

• Glycated hemoglobin ordered at hospital admission

  During the 30-day intervention period

Study Arms (2)

Telemedicine Education Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Internal medicine residents in this group will receive a 30-minute online theoretical class on hospital hyperglycemia, taught by hospital-based endocrinologists. After the class, for 30 days, participants will be included in a continuing medical education group via the WhatsApp® application, where they will receive short educational videos and supporting materials related to diabetes and inpatient glycemic control.

Behavioral: Educational Intervention via Telemedicine

Routine Clinical Practice Group

NO INTERVENTION

Internal medicine residents in this group will not receive any theoretical class or continuing education intervention. They will continue their standard clinical duties and usual care practices during the study period, without additional materials or support related to inpatient diabetes management.

Interventions

Educational Intervention via Telemedicine BEHAVIORAL

A structured educational program delivered remotely through WhatsApp®, including a 30-minute online lecture and daily dissemination of educational content (videos, texts, and practical guidance) on hospital hyperglycemia and glycemic management strategies.

Telemedicine Education Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Internal medicine residents from clinical teams at the participating university hospitals in southern Brazil.
• Residents assigned to clinical teams during the intervention month.
• Provided informed consent to participate in the study.

You may not qualify if:

• Residents on vacation during the intervention month.
• Residents from teams supervised by endocrinologists.
• Refusal to participate in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Catholic University of Pelotas: lead
• Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre: collaborator
• Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG): collaborator
• Federal University of Pelotas: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Catholic University of Pelotas

Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, 96075160, Brazil

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Lopes JDF, Andrade PDR, Borges MT, Krause MC, Simi MOS, Bohlke M, Weinert LS. Medical education on hospital hyperglycemia improving knowledge and outcomes. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Feb 19;68:e230003. doi: 10.20945/2359-4292-2023-0003. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 39420910 BACKGROUND

• Faruque LI, Wiebe N, Ehteshami-Afshar A, Liu Y, Dianati-Maleki N, Hemmelgarn BR, Manns BJ, Tonelli M; Alberta Kidney Disease Network. Effect of telemedicine on glycated hemoglobin in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. CMAJ. 2017 Mar 6;189(9):E341-E364. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.150885. Epub 2016 Oct 31.

  PMID: 27799615 BACKGROUND

• Mendez CE, Umpierrez GE. Pharmacotherapy for Hyperglycemia in Noncritically Ill Hospitalized Patients. Diabetes Spectr. 2014 Aug;27(3):180-8. doi: 10.2337/diaspect.27.3.180.

  PMID: 26246777 BACKGROUND

• Umpierrez GE, Reyes D, Smiley D, Hermayer K, Khan A, Olson DE, Pasquel F, Jacobs S, Newton C, Peng L, Fonseca V. Hospital discharge algorithm based on admission HbA1c for the management of patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2014 Nov;37(11):2934-9. doi: 10.2337/dc14-0479. Epub 2014 Aug 28.

  PMID: 25168125 BACKGROUND

• Horton WB, Law S, Darji M, Conaway MR, Akbashev MY, Kubiak NT, Kirby JL, Thigpen SC. A MULTICENTER STUDY EVALUATING PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE OF INPATIENT GLYCEMIC CONTROL AMONG RESIDENT PHYSICIANS: ANALYZING THEMES TO INFORM AND IMPROVE CARE. Endocr Pract. 2019 Dec;25(12):1295-1303. doi: 10.4158/EP-2019-0299. Epub 2019 Aug 14.

  PMID: 31412227 BACKGROUND

• Wu EQ, Zhou S, Yu A, Lu M, Sharma H, Gill J, Graf T. Outcomes associated with insulin therapy disruption after hospital discharge among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who had used insulin before and during hospitalization. Endocr Pract. 2012 Sep-Oct;18(5):651-9. doi: 10.4158/EP11314.OR.

  PMID: 22440990 BACKGROUND

• Bansal V, Mottalib A, Pawar TK, Abbasakoor N, Chuang E, Chaudhry A, Sakr M, Gabbay RA, Hamdy O. Inpatient diabetes management by specialized diabetes team versus primary service team in non-critical care units: impact on 30-day readmission rate and hospital cost. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2018 Apr 5;6(1):e000460. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2017-000460. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 29657719 BACKGROUND

• Rubin DJ. Hospital readmission of patients with diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2015 Apr;15(4):17. doi: 10.1007/s11892-015-0584-7.

  PMID: 25712258 BACKGROUND

• Moghissi ES, Korytkowski MT, DiNardo M, Einhorn D, Hellman R, Hirsch IB, Inzucchi SE, Ismail-Beigi F, Kirkman MS, Umpierrez GE; American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists; American Diabetes Association. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American Diabetes Association consensus statement on inpatient glycemic control. Diabetes Care. 2009 Jun;32(6):1119-31. doi: 10.2337/dc09-9029. Epub 2009 May 8. No abstract available.

  PMID: 19429873 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Diabetes Mellitus

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, Endocrinologist, Catholic University of Pelotas

Model Details: This is a multicenter, open-label, parallel-group randomized clinical trial designed to assess the impact of a structured medical education program on physicians' knowledge and hospital outcomes in patients with diabetes. Internal medicine resident teams from four Brazilian university hospitals were randomized to either an intervention group, which received a virtual class and 30-day follow-up via WhatsApp®, or a control group with usual practice. Outcomes include improvement in medical knowledge, quality of diabetes-related prescriptions, glycemic control, hospital length of stay, and readmission rates.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 19, 2025
• First Posted: August 7, 2025
• Study Start: August 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: May 31, 2025
• Study Completion: May 31, 2025
• Last Updated: August 7, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

BR (1)