Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study
Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed the risks of poorly controlled noncommunicable diseases, especially in persons with diabetes. The pandemic outbreak in Cape Town, South Africa, required a rapid reorganisation of primary care services. Community-based measures were...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
AOSIS
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | South African Family Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5558 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849234194956288000 |
|---|---|
| author | Neal J. David Graham Bresick Natasha Moodaley Klaus B. von Pressentin |
| author_facet | Neal J. David Graham Bresick Natasha Moodaley Klaus B. von Pressentin |
| author_sort | Neal J. David |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed the risks of poorly controlled noncommunicable diseases, especially in persons with diabetes. The pandemic outbreak in Cape Town, South Africa, required a rapid reorganisation of primary care services. Community-based measures were activated to ensure continuity of care by implementing home delivery of medication by community health workers. After five months of de-escalated chronic care, observations at an urban primary care facility suggested that noncommunicable disease patients had not overtly decompensated despite suspending regular in-facility services. This study attempted to understand what impact de-escalation of regular care and escalation of community-based interventions had on type 2 diabetes patients at this primary care facility.
Methods: A mixed methods study design was used, consisting of data captured prospectively from diabetic patients who returned to the facility for routine care post-lockdown, as well as qualitative interviews to ascertain patients’ experiences of the home delivery service.
Results: The data set included 331 (72%) patients in the home delivery group and 130 (28%) in the non-home delivery group. Regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between home delivery and improved diabetic control (p 0.01), although this may be because of confounding factors. The mean glycaemic control was suboptimal both at baseline and post-lockdown in both groups. Interviews with 83 study patients confirmed the acceptability of the home delivery intervention.
Conclusion: The rapid reorganisation of primary care services illustrates the versatility of a functional community-oriented primary care service, although not fully developed yet, to adapt to emerging community healthcare needs in the pandemic era. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-de28746b3f3c4fa2a8cefa0bae0b26ba |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-de28746b3f3c4fa2a8cefa0bae0b26ba2025-08-20T04:03:13ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042022-08-01641e1e910.4102/safp.v64i1.55584247Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods studyNeal J. David0Graham Bresick1Natasha Moodaley2Klaus B. von Pressentin3Division of Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and, Metro District Health Services, Western Cape Department of Health, Cape TownDivision of Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape TownDivision of Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape TownDivision of Family Medicine, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape TownBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exposed the risks of poorly controlled noncommunicable diseases, especially in persons with diabetes. The pandemic outbreak in Cape Town, South Africa, required a rapid reorganisation of primary care services. Community-based measures were activated to ensure continuity of care by implementing home delivery of medication by community health workers. After five months of de-escalated chronic care, observations at an urban primary care facility suggested that noncommunicable disease patients had not overtly decompensated despite suspending regular in-facility services. This study attempted to understand what impact de-escalation of regular care and escalation of community-based interventions had on type 2 diabetes patients at this primary care facility. Methods: A mixed methods study design was used, consisting of data captured prospectively from diabetic patients who returned to the facility for routine care post-lockdown, as well as qualitative interviews to ascertain patients’ experiences of the home delivery service. Results: The data set included 331 (72%) patients in the home delivery group and 130 (28%) in the non-home delivery group. Regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between home delivery and improved diabetic control (p 0.01), although this may be because of confounding factors. The mean glycaemic control was suboptimal both at baseline and post-lockdown in both groups. Interviews with 83 study patients confirmed the acceptability of the home delivery intervention. Conclusion: The rapid reorganisation of primary care services illustrates the versatility of a functional community-oriented primary care service, although not fully developed yet, to adapt to emerging community healthcare needs in the pandemic era.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5558covid-19type 2 diabeteshome delivery of medicationglycaemic controlprimary caredistrict healthcarecommunity health workersmixed methods |
| spellingShingle | Neal J. David Graham Bresick Natasha Moodaley Klaus B. von Pressentin Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study South African Family Practice covid-19 type 2 diabetes home delivery of medication glycaemic control primary care district healthcare community health workers mixed methods |
| title | Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study |
| title_full | Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study |
| title_short | Measuring the impact of community-based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cape Town – A mixed methods study |
| title_sort | measuring the impact of community based interventions on type 2 diabetes control during the covid 19 pandemic in cape town a mixed methods study |
| topic | covid-19 type 2 diabetes home delivery of medication glycaemic control primary care district healthcare community health workers mixed methods |
| url | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/5558 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nealjdavid measuringtheimpactofcommunitybasedinterventionsontype2diabetescontrolduringthecovid19pandemicincapetownamixedmethodsstudy AT grahambresick measuringtheimpactofcommunitybasedinterventionsontype2diabetescontrolduringthecovid19pandemicincapetownamixedmethodsstudy AT natashamoodaley measuringtheimpactofcommunitybasedinterventionsontype2diabetescontrolduringthecovid19pandemicincapetownamixedmethodsstudy AT klausbvonpressentin measuringtheimpactofcommunitybasedinterventionsontype2diabetescontrolduringthecovid19pandemicincapetownamixedmethodsstudy |