Diabetes Control With Reciprocal Peer Support Versus Nurse Care Management

Results: Of the 244 patients enrolled, 216 (89%) completed the HbA1c assessments and 231 (95%) completed the survey assessments at 6 months. Mean HbA1c level decreased from 8.02% to 7.73% (change, 0.29%) in the RPS group and increased from 7.93% to 8.22% (change, 0.29%) in the NCM group. The difference in HbA1c change between groups was 0.58% (P 0.004). Among patients with a baseline HbA1c level greater than 8.0%, those in the RPS group had a mean decrease of 0.88%, compared with a 0.07% decrease among those in the NCM group (betweengroup difference, 0.81%; P 0.001). Eight patients in the RPS group started insulin therapy, compared with 1 patient in the NCM group (P 0.020). Groups did not differ in blood pressure, self-reported medication adherence, or diabetes-specific distress, but the RPS group reported improvement in diabetes social support. Limitation: The study included only male veterans and lasted only 6 months. Conclusion: Reciprocal peer support holds promise as a method for diabetes care management.