Veracruz Initiative for Diabetes Awareness (VIDA Project) | ||
Project Documentation In English In Spanish Other Subregional Initiatives Links |
The monitoring system for quality of care in Mexico indicated that in 2000, only 34% of all persons with diabetes receiving care were reported to have adequate metabolic control. As a result, the Ministry of Health in Mexico included diabetes as one of the health priorities in a national campaign for service improvement called The Crusade for Quality Improvement. In this context, an intervention project is being carried out in five primary-care centers in Veracruz, Mexico. The intervention is a joint program of the Ministry of Health and the Diabetes Declaration of the Americas (DOTA) through the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO). An assessment of the status of diabetes care was carried out in participating health centers as a baseline for the intervention. The study was an audit of medical records using the QUALIDIAB questionnaire promoted by DOTA. The one-year intervention consists of in-service training of primary-care personnel on diabetes management, including foot care, as well as the implementation of a structured diabetes education program and a variety of initiatives created by the primary health teams. Some of the innovations that were put in practice by primary-care centers in the VIDA project are the organization of diabetes clinics, a collective medical visit for the Grupos de Ayuda Mutua (Diabetic clubs), and the use of promotores (health promoters) to carry out diabetes education, as well as participation by people with diabetes in the project's learning sessions. | |