DPHSS contracted Health Partners, L.L.C., a private sector company providing technical assistance and consulting services in public health, to develop a survey instrument and conduct the diabetes prevention and control patient survey. Following a review of existing survey instruments, a draft survey was developed in close collaboration with the DPHSS Diabetes Control and Prevention program staff. The survey instrument and methodology underwent a process of peer review by the Guam Diabetes Control Coalition, to ensure technical accuracy and compliance with ethical standards.
The survey was conducted in 2 clinical settings: the DPHSS Community Health Centers (representing patients utilizing public sector health services) and a private Internal Medicine/Endocrinology clinic (representing patients utilizing private sector facilities). The private clinic was chosen specifically because its main clinician is Guam's only endocrinologist, with the largest concentration of diabetes patients among other private sector clinical providers on the island.
Survey forms were distributed by fax, e-mail or in person to each of the survey sites. Follow-up phone calls and visits were conducted to maximize the response rate. All survey participants were informed at the outset of the nature and purpose of the survey, and informed consent was obtained from each participant.
An electronic database was developed using Microsoft Excel to record entries in submitted survey forms. Descriptive statistics were applied to the data collected. Chi square analysis was utilized to determine if differences in diabetes service utilization and patient satisfaction existed between patients utilizing the private clinic and patients using the community health centers.