ORIGINAL PAPER Assessing Diabetes Practices in Clinical Settings: Precursor to Building Community Partnerships Around Disease Management John D. Prochaska Æ Nelda Mier Æ Jane N. Bolin Æ Kerrie L. Hora Æ Heather R. Clark Æ Marcia G. Ory Published online: 4 September 2009 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract Many recommended best practices exist for clinical and community diabetes management and pre- vention. However, in many cases, these recommendations are not being fully utilized. It is useful to gain a sense of currently utilized and needed practices when beginning a partnership building effort to ameliorate such practice problems. The purpose of this study was to assess current practices in clinical settings within the Brazos Valley in preparation for beginning a community-based participatory research project on improving diabetes prevention and management in this region. Fifty-seven physicians with admission privileges to a regional health system were faxed a survey related to current diabetes patient loads, knowl- edge and implementation of diabetes-related best practices, and related topics. Both qualitative and quantitative examination of the data was conducted. Fifteen percent of responding providers indicated they implemented diabetes prevention best practices, with significant differences between primary-care physicians and specialists. Respon- dents indicated a need for educational and counseling resources, as well as an increased health-care workforce in the region. The utilization of a faxed-based survey proved an effective means for assessing baseline data as well as serving as a catalyst for further discussion around coalition development. Results indicated a strong need for both clinical and community-based services regarding diabetes prevention and management, and provided information and insight to begin focused community dialogue around dia- betes prevention and management needs across the region. Other sites seeking to begin similar projects may benefit from a similar process. Keywords Community partnerships Á Health assessments Á Diabetes Á Rural Introduction The increasing prevalence of diabetes in the United States is a growing public health concern. Estimates indicate that 9.6% of all adults aged 20 and older have diabetes, with rural areas having a greater percentage of persons with diabetes compared to urban areas (with rates in rural areas ranging from 6.5 to 9.5% depending on racial/ethnic group) [1, 2]. Further, an estimated 6.2 million people with dia- betes have yet to be diagnosed [1, 3]. Diabetes, along with the associated complications often arising when the disease is not managed optimally, accounts for up to 24,000 annual cases of blindness, 44% of all patients developing kidney failure, and increased mortality and morbidity rates from heart disease, stroke, and hypertension [1]. In all, diabetes accounted for an estimated $92 billion in direct medical costs in 2002 for the United States and an estimated $40 billion in indirect costs [1, 3]. In the Brazos Valley—a seven county, mostly rural region in Central Texas—recent J. D. Prochaska (&) Á K. L. Hora Á H. R. Clark Á M. G. Ory Center for Community Health Development, Department of Social & Behavioral Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA e-mail: jdprochaska@srph.tamhsc.edu N. Mier 2101 S McColl Rd, McAllen, TX 78503, USA J. N. Bolin Center for Community Health Development, Department of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA 123 J Community Health (2009) 34:493–499 DOI 10.1007/s10900-009-9179-z