Objectives: The Alaska Native Medical Center diabetes program analysed Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit data from 1994-2004 to evaluate the impact of the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) funding on process and intermediate outcomes.
Study design: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from standardized medical records reviews conducted between 1994 and 2004 from regional sites in Alaska.
Methods: We analysed 7,735 randomly selected records for trends over three time periods (pre-SDPI, transition and SDPI).
Results: Hemoglobin A1c, total and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure significantly improved from the pre-SDPI to the SDPI period. However, as the number of people with diabetes increased, the percentage of patients receiving foot, eye and dental exams decreased, as did the percentage receiving nutrition, exercise and diabetes education.
Conclusions: SDPI funding provided resources for interventions necessary to improve the effectiveness of diabetes care. This was associated with improved intermediate outcomes in American Indian/Alaska Native patients with diabetes. Further observations are needed to evaluate whether or not intermediate outcomes result in decreased cardiovascular disease, amputations, dialysis and retinopathy.