Empathy-Focused Phone Calls May Control Diabetes in Low-Income Adults: Study Reveals - Video

Empathy-focused phone calls made by trained, nonmedical community members led to significant improvements in blood sugar control for low-income adults with diabetes, according to a new study from Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with Lone Star Circle of Care. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study suggests this approach could provide a simple, cost-effective model for managing chronic conditions, particularly for patients with limited access to traditional mental health and support services.

During the six-month clinical trial, 260 patients with uncontrolled diabetes were randomly split into two groups: one receiving only standard care and the other receiving both standard care and regular calls focused on listening and empathy. These calls were made by community members trained to provide compassionate support, enabling participants to share their experiences and challenges in living with diabetes.

“This approach begins by acknowledging the real and everyday challenges of living with diabetes,” said Maninder “Mini” Kahlon, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Population Health at Dell Med. “By offering genuine, empathetic support, we had an impact on health that's the clinical equivalent to taking medicine. That’s because emotional well-being is the gateway to the lifestyle changes that improve management of the condition — an area where traditional health care often falls short.”

Key findings include:

Improved Blood Sugar Control: Patients who received empathy-based calls saw an average HbA1c reduction of 0.7%, compared with no significant change in the control group.

Greater Impact for Patients with Mild or Greater Depressive Symptoms: Patients reporting mild depressive symptoms saw even larger reductions, with average HbA1c improvements of 1.1%.

High Satisfaction: Nearly all participants receiving the calls rated them as very or extremely beneficial to their well-being.

Participants — all Lone Star Circle of Care patients — were given flexibility in the frequency and duration of their calls, allowing them to choose one to five calls per week during the initial stages and tapering as they progressed. This patient-driven approach empowered individuals to receive support at a pace that suited their needs and schedules, fostering a strong connection with their callers and reinforcing self-care routines.

Reference: Kahlon MK, Aksan NS, Aubrey R, et al. Glycemic Control With Layperson-Delivered Telephone Calls vs Usual Care for Patients With Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(12):e2448809. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.48809