A Pharmacist and Health Coach-Delivered Mobile Health Intervention for Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Crossover Study

Abstract

Background: Aggressive management of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol through medication and lifestyle adherence is necessary to minimize the adverse health outcomes of type 2 diabetes. However, numerous psychosocial and environmental barriers to adherence prevent low-income, urban, and ethnic minority populations from achieving their management goals, resulting in diabetes complications. Health coaches working with clinical pharmacists represent a promising strategy for addressing common diabetes management barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) tools may further enhance their ability to support vulnerable minority populations in diabetes management.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of an mHealth clinical pharmacist and health coach-delivered intervention on hemoglobin A_1c (HbA_1c, primary outcome), blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein (secondary outcomes) in African-Americans and Latinos with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A 2-year, randomized controlled crossover study will evaluate the effectiveness of an mHealth diabetes intervention delivered by a health coach and clinical pharmacist team compared with usual care. All patients will receive 1 year of team intervention, including lifestyle and medication support delivered in the home with videoconferencing and text messages. All patients will also receive 1 year of usual care without team intervention and no home visits. The order of the conditions received will be randomized. Our recruitment goal is 220 urban African-American or Latino adults with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA_1c ≥8%) receiving care from a largely minority-serving, urban academic medical center. The intervention includes the following: health coaches supporting patients through home visits, phone calls, and text messaging and clinical pharmacists supporting patients through videoconferences facilitated by health coaches. Data collection includes physiologic (HbA_1c, blood pressure, weight, and lipid profile) and survey measures (medication adherence, diabetes-related behaviors, and quality of life). Data collection during the second year of study will determine the maintenance of any physiological improvement among participants receiving the intervention during the first year.

Results: Participant enrollment began in March 2017. We have recruited 221 patients. Intervention delivery and data collection will continue until November 2021. The results are expected to be published by May 2022.

Conclusions: This is among the first trials to incorporate health coaches, clinical pharmacists, and mHealth technologies to increase access to diabetes support among urban African-Americans and Latinos to achieve therapeutic goals.

International registered report identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/17170.

Keywords: clinical pharmacists; community health workers; mHealth; type 2 diabetes mellitus.