Alberta's Caring for Diabetes (ABCD)

ABCD and Quality Improvement

The Alberta’s Caring for Diabetes (ABCD) project, funded by Alberta Health, was developed to improve the quality and efficiency of care for diabetes in Alberta, with a focus on supporting primary care outside of the metro Edmonton and Calgary areas.

The ABCD project involved a large cohort study, the Diabetes Complications Study, two main quality improvement interventions: 1) Depression screening and collaborative care management for diabetes patients (TeamCare-PCN) and 2) Lifestyle behavioral support intervention called Healthy Eating and Active Living in Diabetes (HEALD-PCN), as well as other projects [APEXD, PROACTIVE, Accelerometer sub-study]. Research and evaluation of these interventions will contribute to a number of other studies lead by ACHORD researchers to determine and influence factors that lead to better quality of care and improved health outcomes for people with diabetes.

ABCD Project Design and Recruitment
The ABCD project is proud to collaborate with local Primary Care Networks throughout Alberta. A Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of family doctors and other health professionals working together with Alberta Health Services to coordinate primary health services for patients.

PCNs take a comprehensive approach to health management, emphasizing health promotion, disease and injury prevention, and the care of patients with medically complex problems and chronic diseases. As such, PCNs are an ideal environment for the implementation and evaluation of the ABCD project.

For more information about PCN’s, visit Alberta Health Services.