Effectiveness of Provider Education Concerning Prediabetes Treatment in Mississippi

Prediabetes is defined by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as having an A1C of 5.7-6.4% or a fasting plasma glucose of 100-125 mg/dl. Prediabetes greatly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (ADA, 2019). The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to determine if providing education to PCPs, practicing in MS, regarding the implementation of a prediabetes treatment algorithm improved their knowledge and implementation of the ADA guidelines. The intention was to bring increased awareness of ADA guidelines regarding the current treatment recommendations for patients with prediabetes to PCPs. A pretest and posttest were utilized to assess whether the PCPs’ knowledge and implementation of ADA guidelines improved. The overall goal of this research project was to improve the care of the patients, families, and communities served through properly educating PCPs in MS on the current ADA guidelines for treating patients diagnosed with prediabetes, thereby decreasing, or preventing long-term detrimental effects on their health. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to compare the two independent samples. It was determined that there was not a statistically significant difference from pretest to posttest responses (p=.35); however, both of the practice-based questions yielded significantly positive results, indicating a change in practice