Comparative Effectiveness of Team-Based Care With and Without a Clinical Decision Support System for Diabetes Management : A Cluster Randomized Trial

Background: Uncontrolled hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension are common in persons with diabetes.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of team-based care with and without a clinical decision support system (CDSS) in controlling glycemia, lipids, and blood pressure (BP) among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Design: Cluster randomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02835287).

Setting: 38 community health centers in Xiamen, China.

Patients: 11 132 persons aged 50 years or older with uncontrolled diabetes and comorbid conditions, 5475 receiving team-based care with a CDSS and 5657 receiving team-based care alone.

Intervention: Team-based care was delivered by primary care physicians, health coaches, and diabetes specialists in all centers. In addition, a computerized CDSS, which generated individualized treatment recommendations based on clinical guidelines, was implemented in 19 centers delivering team-based care with a CDSS.

Measurements: Coprimary outcomes were mean reductions in hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c) level, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, and systolic BP over 18 months and the proportion of participants with all 3 risk factors controlled at 18 months.

Results: During the 18-month intervention, HbA_1c levels, LDL-C levels, and systolic BP significantly decreased by -0.9 percentage point (95% CI, -0.9 to -0.8 percentage point), -0.49 mmol/L (CI, -0.53 to -0.45 mmol/L) (-19.0 mg/dL [CI, -20.4 to -17.5 mg/dL]), and -9.1 mm Hg (CI, -9.9 to -8.3 mm Hg), respectively, in team-based care with a CDSS and by -0.6 percentage point (CI, -0.7 to -0.5 percentage point), -0.32 mmol/L (CI, -0.35 to -0.29 mmol/L) (-12.5 mg/dL [CI, -13.6 to -11.3 mg/dL]), and -7.5 mm Hg (CI, -8.4 to -6.6 mm Hg), respectively, in team-based care alone. Net differences were -0.2 percentage point (CI, -0.3 to -0.1 percentage point) for HbA_1c level, -0.17 mmol/L (CI, -0.21 to -0.12 mmol/L) (-6.5 mg/dL [CI, -8.3 to -4.6 mg/dL]) for LDL-C level, and -1.5 mm Hg (CI, -2.8 to -0.3 mm Hg) for systolic BP. The proportion of patients with controlled HbA_1c, LDL-C, and systolic BP was 16.9% (CI, 15.7% to 18.2%) in team-based care with a CDSS and 13.0% (CI, 11.7% to 14.3%) in team-based care alone.

Limitation: There was no usual care control, and clinical outcome assessors were unblinded; the analysis did not account for multiple comparisons.

Conclusion: Compared with team-based care alone, team-based care with a CDSS significantly reduced cardiovascular risk factors in patients with diabetes, but the effect was modest.

Primary funding source: Xiamen Municipal Health Commission.