Integrating Undergraduate Patient Partners into Diabetes self-management education: Evaluating a free clinic pilot program for the Underserved.

Background: Diabetes self-management education (DSME) improves glycemic control and health outcomes in patients with diabetes.

Objective: A process evaluation of a two-year pilot intervention examined the feasibility and acceptability of undergraduate volunteers as Patient Partners to foster DSME participation among the underserved.Design setting, and participants. In the setting of a student-run free clinic, 22 patients enrolled in DSME were paired with 16 undergraduate volunteers. During the DSME courses, Patient Partners assisted patients during classes, called patients weekly, and accompanied patients to clinic appointments.Key process evaluation results. Average attendance at DSME classes was 79.4% and 94.7% for patients and Patient Partners, respectively. Sixty-three percent of phone calls were successful and Patient Partners attended 50% of appointments with their patients. Focus groups demonstrated resounding acceptability of the Patient Partner role.

Conclusions: Volunteer undergraduate Patient Partners are a beneficial adjunct to DSME delivery in the resource-constrained environment of a student-run free clinic.