Cohort Study on Patient Outcomes, Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Intervention Programmes for DM/HT Patients

Different structures and processes of primary care management strategies includes: Multi-morbidity, continuity-of-care, different service delivery models and management strategies (i.e. investigation frequency and specific drug regimens)

Under the Multi-disciplinary Risk Factor Assessment and Management Programmes (RAMP) for diabetes (RAMP-DM), multi-disciplinary teams of health care professionals (doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, opticians etc) were established at designated GOPCs. All DM patients are eligible to enrol into the DM RAMP programmes. Each patient in the RAMP receives a comprehensive risk factor and complication screening to determine his/her overall cardiovascular risk and presence of modifiable risk factors, and according to their risk level and need, the patient may receive additional interventions such as additional counselling by the nurse or additional consultations with a senior doctor.

Under the Multi-disciplinary Risk Factor Assessment and Management Programmes (RAMP) for hypertension (RAMP-HT), multi-disciplinary teams of health care professionals (doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, opticians etc) were established at designated GOPCs. All HT patients are eligible to enrol into the HT RAMP programmes. Each patient in the RAMP receives a comprehensive risk factor and complication screening to determine his/her overall cardiovascular risk and presence of modifiable risk factors, and according to their risk level and need, the patient may receive additional interventions such as additional counselling by the nurse or additional consultations with a senior doctor.

RAMP Patients can also be referred to the Patient Empowerment Programme(PEP) - a structured self-care education programme delivered by non-governmental organisations(NGOs). If the DM control is suboptimal but the patient is unable to attend the PEP, they may be referred to the Patient Support Call Centre(PSCC) service. PSCC provides individualized telephone counselling by trained nurses. PSCC empowers high-risk DM patients to engage in self-care behaviours by providing regular protocol-led telephone support to advise and reinforce healthy behaviours. Targeted self-care behaviours include self-monitoring, medication management, balanced diet, exercise, risk factor reduction, problem solving and healthy coping. Enrolled patients receive weekly to bi-weekly calls in the first 3 months and additional calls as required for a maximum of 9 months. Subsequent follow-up calls are undertaken to assess self-care behaviours related to the selected goals and to develop a care plan with the patient.