Background: Diabetes continues to be a health concern for a large segment of the United States population. Management of diabetes requires attention to diet, activity, medications and health monitoring to avoid the sequela of disease. For the commercial motor vehicle operator, long in-service hours, lack of healthcare follow up, primary dietary intake from restaurants, as well as very little in the way of regular physical activity, complicates the diabetes management equation further. While much research exists on diabetes and its management, very little has been done to address the unique issues of the commercial motor vehicle operator population. Foreground: For providers in an occupational health clinic charged with determining a commercial motor vehicle operator’s suitability to drive, concerns regarding diabetes and its management are a daily issue. Although diabetes management is coordinated by the primary health care provider, the role of the occupational health care provider in the education and provision of evidence based information is not to be ignored int he commercial motor vehicle operator population. Methods: A needs assessment was completed and an evidence-based presentation on diabetes was given to the healthcare provider staff at an occupational health clinic. A process for dissemination of an evidence-based educational handout directed at commercial motor vehicle operators with diabetes was discussed with the clinic staff. The healthcare provider staff then disseminated the educational handout to commercial motor vehicle operators with diabetes during the project period. EBP Framework: An organizing framework in combination with two theories guided this project. Rosswurm and Larrabee’s Model for Change to Evidence Based Practice provides a systematic process for developing and implementing a practice change. Lewin’s Theory of Change served as the theoretical foundation for the process. The diabetes educational handout was based on the work of Nola J. Pender, PhD, RN, FAAN. Findings/Results: Evaluation of the evidence-based practice intervention was derived by determining the number of diabetes education handouts provided to commercial motor vehicle operators with diabetes during the project period and comparing that number to the number of commercial motor vehicle operators who were eligible to receive the educational handout. The results of the project demonstrate that the number of commercial motor vehicle operators seen at this occupational health clinic and impacted by diabetes was 12.33% which remains above the national estimate of total population of persons with diabetes of 8.3%. Further, the patients with diabetes who were evaluated by the routine, full time providers were more likely to receive the evidence-based educational handout than those that were seen by a locum tenens provider. Conclusion/Recommendations: As patients who were seen by the routine, full time providers were more likely to receive an evidence-based educational handout, additional process improvement needs to occur to assure sustainability of an evidence based practice change when a medical practice relies on multiple locum tenens providers for staffing.
