Simple solutions for complex health care problems

摘要

A primary care nurse practitioner notices that the glycated hemoglobin A_(1c) (HbA_(1c)) levels of many of her diabetic patients drop precipitously at the end of each month and then rise again. She focuses on the patients who are doing well throughout the month and discovers that none of them are on food stamps. Focused interviews of the patients with compromised HbA_(1c) levels reveal that their food stamps last only for 3 weeks. The nurse practitioner works with the social worker to remedy the situation, and the HbA_(1c) levels remain positively stable for all patients.