Nurse-coordinated team-based follow-up program in primary care

PH.D. PROJECT

About the project

This project is a cooperation between The University of Akureyri and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. The overall program title is: „Effectiveness of a nurse-coordinated multi-disciplinary follow-up program in general practice: a mixed-method complex intervention trial among people with chronic conditions and multi-morbidity”.

The aim of this PhD Project is:

  1. To evaluate prevalence of prediabetes and undiagnosed Type two Diabetes (T2DM) in Northern Iceland
  2. To build competence in clinical practice by developing new roles for nurses in primary health care (PHC)
  3. To investigate if the lifestyle change program “Guided Self Determination” (GSD) is suitable and accepted in Icelandic primary health care (PHC) settings.

Participants (n=220) were voluntarily chosen from areas of the three of the largest PHC in North Iceland. Whereof 81 fulfilled inclusion criteria for participation in the intervention study of the GSD program. In addition, six nurses provided the GSD intervention.

The PhD project started in March 2020 and data collection finished in spring 2023, the intervention study. First results have been published and the projects is estimated to finish in late 2024.

Doctoral Candidate

Doctoral committee and Researchers

  • Árún K. Sigurðardóttir, professor, University of Akureyri (Iceland) – Main supervisor
  • Marit Graue, professor, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway - Supervisor
  • Beate-Christin Hope Kolltveit, associate Prof, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway - Supervisor
  • Timothy Skinner, professor, Institute of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark - Supervisor

Collaborators

Publications

Arnardóttir, E., Sigurðardóttir, Á.K., Graue, M. et al. Using HbA1c measurements and the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score to identify undiagnosed individuals and those at risk of diabetes in primary care. BMC Public Health 23, 211 (2023).

Arnardóttir, E.; Sigurðardóttir, Á.K.; Graue, M.; Kolltveit, B.-C.H.; Skinner, T. Can Waist-to-Height Ratio and Health Literacy Be Used in Primary Care for Prioritizing Further Assessment of People at T2DM Risk? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 6606.