When patients take a more active role in their healthcare, physical and mental quality of life improves. And while overall diabetes management also improves, glycemic control is largely unaffected, so say authors in an article published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics.

Researchers place the blame on a lack of adequate follow-up.

For the study, researchers watched medication adherence, diet, exercise, and blood sugar testing. Patient centered care needs to expand more broadly throughout the healthcare system to have a meaningful impact on glycemic control they conclude.

In the article "Patient-Centered Care, Glycemic Control, Diabetes Self-Care, and Quality of Life in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes," the researchers point to The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — with its emphasis on patient care control as the reason more patients are taking a more active role in disease management and treatment decisions. But while Obamacare may benefit some aspects of self-monitoring, glycemic control is not one of them.

"Patient engagement and self-care behaviors are essential in improving health outcomes for subjects with diabetes. [Researchers] report improved quality of life with patient-centered care in subjects with diabetes; however, their data did not support improvement in glucose control, which may be due to shorter follow up," says Dr. Satish Garg, professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of Colorado Denver.

Directing the research were Joni Williams, Rebekah Walker, Brittany Smalls, Rachel Hill, and Leonard Egede, Medical University of South Carolina; and Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, S.C., and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass.