A dynamic, community-wide effort to improve the care people with type 2 diabetes receive from their doctor and the care they give themselves.

The Diabetes Footprints Campaign is a component of Greater Cincinnati Aligning Forces for Quality, an unprecedented local commitment to improving the care for people with chronic illness. Aligning Forces for Quality is an initiative of the Health Improvement Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati.

We know from national research that the quality of healthcare in America is not what it should be. For instance, we know that Americans typically receive only about 55 percent of the recommended standard of care. The more individuals with type 2 diabetes know about the recommended care they should receive from their doctor and the care they should provide each day for themselves, the better equipped they will be to manage their disease effectively.

At the same time, primary care doctors need better information, tools, and encouragement so they can provide best-practice care to their patients. The Diabetes Footprints Campaign will work to provide necessary support to area primary care doctors and their diabetes patients.

The elements of the campaign include common tools that individuals, community groups, physicians, employers, hospitals, and health plans can use to provide information about recommended care guidelines. These include a consumer-decision support tool (Success With Diabetes brochure) and checklists for doctor visits and for daily self-care for people with type 2 diabetes.