An Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Delivering Structured Care in Chinese Type 2 Diabetic Patients
An Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Acceptability of Delivering Structured Care in Chinese Type 2 Diabetic Patients
In this demonstration project (JADE in Jiangsu & Anhui Program, JADE-JA in short) led by key
 opinion leaders in the field of diabetes and endocrinology in Jiangsu and Anhui area and
 supported by the ADF, shall recruit 4800 type 2 diabetic patients attending medical
 out-patient clinics in the area to compare the effects of usual versus structured care
 (non-JADE vs JADE) on metabolic control, quality of life and behavioral changes. After
 explanation by trained doctors and nurses and with written informed consent, patients will be
 randomized to either the JADE or non-JADE group. The former encompasses all components of the
 structured care delivered by a trio-team of doctor, nurse and Healthcare Assistant (HCA)
 while the non-JADE group only consists of comprehensive assessments (CA) at baseline and
 12-month with patients managed in the usual manner thereafter. At the end of 12 months, all
 patients will undergo repeat comprehensive assessments for comparison of rates of attainment
 of treatment targets, behavioral changes, quality of life and default rates. The
 acceptability of the JADE-JA Program by patients and the trio-team will also be evaluated.

 The investigators hypothesize that the use of state of the art information technology to
 record, manage and analyze the large amount of clinical information generated during various
 consultation visits will improve the effectiveness and efficiency in implementing these care
 protocols through decision support and regular feedback to both patients and care team.
In 2007, supported by an educational grant, a charitable organization named the Asia Diabetes
 Foundation (ADF) (www.adf.org.hk) was established to develop the Joint Asia Diabetes
 Evaluation (JADE) Program, which comprises a web-based disease management program to enable
 doctors, nurses and other care personnel to manage people with diabetes in an integrated and
 effective manner. The JADE electronic portal (e portal) provides a virtual platform to
 facilitate implementation of evidence-based clinical protocols with ongoing data collection,
 management and analysis to track performance for quality assurance and improvement purposes.
 The JADE Program also incorporates validated risk equations developed by the Chinese
 University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Diabetes Care & Research Group to stratify patients into
 various risk levels for recommendation of triage into different care protocols with decision
 supports. This clinical information, presented in the forms of charts and time trends, can be
 communicated to patients and care providers to motivate behavioral changes, set treatment
 goals and attain targets.

 By participating in the JADE Program, the doctors will be able to create their own diabetes
 registry to benchmark their performance including adherence to procedures, recall of default
 patients and rate of attainment of treatment targets. In this regard, the implementation of
 the full JADE Program requires changes in the practice environment and deployment of
 additional manpower (e.g. a nurse and a HCA) to enter data and provide reminders to patients
 and doctors to improve adherence to protocols.

 It is anticipated that the cost-effectiveness of the structured (JADE group) versus usual
 (non-JADE group) care on rates of attainment of multiple treatment targets, which will
 translate into clinical outcomes in the long term, will eventually change practice and policy
 to make quality diabetes care more affordable, sustainable and accessible in China.

 In this 1-year multi-centre randomized study, the investigators shall use a web-based disease
 management program (JADE e portal) to facilitate implementation of structured care with the
 following objectives:

 -  To evaluate the reach, adoption and acceptability of the JADE e portal by patients and
 health care team

 -  To compare the effectiveness of the JADE versus non-JADE Program in attainment of
 treatment targets, improvement of quality of life and changes in behaviours

 -  To document the pattern of complications, risk factors, use of medications and quality
 of life in type 2 diabetic patients in Jiangsu and Anhui, China.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Type 2 diabetic patients attending the 8 hospitals or affiliated clinics led by PIs of
 the JADE-JA Program who are living in the area with an intention to have 'regular'
 follow-up

 -  Aged ≥ 18 years

 -  Patients can have newly diagnosed or established disease, treated with lifestyle or
 blood glucose lowering drugs including oral agents with or without insulin

 -  For newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients, their plasma glucose levels should be:

 -  Fasting plasma glucose (PG) ≥ 7.0 mmol/L on 2 or more occasions, and/or

 -  Random (or post-OGTT 2h) PG ≥ 11.1 mmol/L on 2 or more occasions, and/or

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Type 1 diabetes defined as a history of ketosis at diagnosis [acute symptoms with
 heavy ketonuria (> 3+) or ketoacidosis] or continuous requirement of insulin within
 one year of diagnosis

 -  Patients with reduced life expectancy (e.g. less than 6-months) due to recent
 diagnosis of advanced cancers (e.g. within last 2 years) and other life threatening
 conditions

 -  Patients with a mental condition rendering them unable to understand the nature,
 scope, and possible consequences of the study

 -  Patients actively enrolled in another intervention study

 -  Patients who are unwilling to return for regular follow up