A Pilot Intervention Study of Health Coaching to Promote Diabetes Self-Care in the Community

Diabetes poses a substantial burden to racial/ethnic minorities and in populations with limited access to healthcare. However, there is a shortage of healthcare providers available to help patients adopt the lifestyle changes required for diabetes control. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a diabetes self-care intervention delivered by medical students to patients with poorly controlled diabetes. Training medical students to use proven communication techniques to help patients identify and overcome barriers to adopting lifestyle changes in diabetes is a novel but plausible strategy. The investigators anticipate that findings from our pilot study will be used to develop a larger study to definitively test the program's effectiveness. A long-term benefit of our program is that future healthcare providers are practicing the skills needed to promote positive lifestyle changes and provide care for chronic conditions in diverse communities.