Diabetes Education Cards

Endocrinologist Dr. Victor Montori came to the CFI for help in working more effectively with diabetes patients.

Once a death sentence, diabetes has become a condition that can be managed; however, it requires adherence to a strict diet and lifestyle regimen. It was difficult for many patients to follow through on complex instructions, and Dr. Montori had found that if clinicians did not give them some choice in the way they managed the disease, “patients might walk away from the best medical centers in the world, taking treatments that they don't want, that they are not inclined to eventually use once they get home, and that, therefore, would not be helpful to them.”

In collaboration with the CFI, Montori and his staff experimented with cards presenting information on medicines and lifestyle challenges. In clinical trials, they found that patients who used the cards were more knowledgeable about the side effects of their medicines and more likely to be compliant with their treatment plans.