Objective: This study aimed to describe the current practice of outpatient management for patients with type 2 diabetes and to analyze selected influencing factors at An Giang Central General Hospital in 2024.
Methods: A cross-sectional study combining quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted at the Outpatient Department of An Giang Central General Hospital from March to November 2024. The quantitative component included direct interviews and medical record reviews among 210 outpatients with type 2 diabetes. The qualitative component included 6 in-depth interviews and 4 focus group discussions with managers, healthcare workers, and patients.
Results: The mean age of patients was 60.5 ± 11.1 years, and women accounted for 55.7%. The mean blood glucose level was 10.6 ± 6.1 mmol/L. Grade 1 and grade 2 hypertension accounted for 51.4% and 33.8%, respectively. Medical record management and follow-up scheduling were relatively well implemented: 100% of records were retained, treatment information was updated, and follow-up appointments were scheduled; 96.7% of data were stored using management software. Treatment counseling was recorded for all patients. However, several proactive follow-up activities remained limited, including reminders for missed follow-up visits (0.5%), blood glucose monitoring assessment (39.5%), blood pressure monitoring assessment (27.1%), and physical activity assessment (27.1%). Influencing factors included low income, older age, human resource shortages, workload pressure from multitasking, shortages of medicines and laboratory reagents, and poor data interoperability across health system levels.
Conclusion: Outpatient management for patients with type 2 diabetes was well implemented in terms of medical records, follow-up scheduling, and counseling. However, proactive follow-up, appointment reminders, monitoring of health indicators, and system-level resources should be strengthened.