Detailed Description
Section One of the INFOCore gathers demographic information and personal and family medical history useful for individual patient treatment as well as enterprise-wide population management. Section One is administered at the initial visit to establish a baseline of demographic information and health history.

Section Two is built around Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center's Diabetes Care Profile (DCP), a self-administered questionnaire that assesses the social and psychological factors related to diabetes and its treatment. The INFOCore includes sections III – VI and VIII – XII. These sections contain 119 questions and nine scales. Included scales assess disease education, understanding, social support, control problems, attitudes towards diabetes, diet adherence, long-term benefit (of disease control), exercise barriers, and monitoring barriers (to adherence).

Section Three is the Diabetes Impact Measurement Scale (DIMS). the DIMS measures health status (impact of diabetes on life) and is used as an index evaluating the changes in health status or impact related to the disease. The DIMS collects basic clinical diabetes information and has 44 items in 4 dimensions (Symptoms, well-being, diabetes-related morale, social role fulfillment ) with a 4- to 6-point scale. (Psychometrics: alpha=0.60-0.85, convergent validity with Global judgment of general health by patient (r=0.27-0.47) and by clinician (r=0.29-0.45) (Garratt et al., 2002))

Norms

When to administer this assessment
No protocol exists for the administration of the INFOCore. We suggest administration of a baseline assessment early after diagnosis, then regularly until the patient's condition stabilizes. Cumulative and trended information will help the physician evaluate the patient's adjustment to the disease and adoption of a self-care regimes.

Author information
Diabetes Care Profile (DCP)
Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center
University of Michigan Medical School