UNIVERSITY OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
UPEI NP-led diabetes feasibility study reaches full enrolment and strong early participation

Researchers at UPEI, in collaboration with Health PEI's Provincial Diabetes Program, have reached an important milestone in the NP-Led Diabetes Group Health Visits in PEI: Feasibility Study, which is testing nurse practitioner (NP)-led group health visits for Islanders living with Type 2 diabetes who do not have a primary care provider.

The study has reached full enrolment, providing access to care over 12 months for 32 Islanders in four groups of eight. At the first visits in September, 31 of 32 participants attended.

"Our early experience shows both the need for and interest in innovative, NP-led models of care," said Dr. Rianne Carragher, nurse practitioner, co-principal investigator and assistant professor in UPEI's Faculty of Nursing. "There is real potential to adapt NPACCESS and my ACCESS framework to different settings, provincially and nationally, and to different populations. We are exploring an expansion into women's health, NPACCESS-Women+, and are looking at funding opportunities, but growing this work will need support from government and Health PEI."

The study, known as NPACCESS-DM, is part of NPACCESS, a broader program of research guided by Dr. Carragher's ACCESS framework and its six principles: Access, Collaboration, Comprehensive Care, Empowerment, Support and Sustainability.

At each visit, participants have one-on-one time with an NP, registered nurse, and pharmacist, and take part in group education with support from dietetics, social work, UPEI Kinesiology, and Public Health Nursing.

The study was developed by two NPs, Dr. Carragher and Lindsay Metzger, and is led and delivered by NPs. It runs on very minimal funding and is made possible by the hard work and dedication of the UPEI nursing research team and the team on the ground at the diabetes centre.

"Many participants entered the study without a consistent source of diabetes care," said Metzger, co-principal investigator and an NP with Health PEI's Provincial Diabetes Program. "Having a dedicated team and a regular place to receive care over the next year is helping fill an important gap for Islanders living with Type 2 diabetes. The response from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are encouraged by the level of engagement we have seen so far."

The team will continue collecting clinical and experience data to assess whether the model is feasible and acceptable, including recruitment, retention, HbA1c, blood pressure, and participant and staff satisfaction.

The next visits are in December 2026, and the study runs through June 2027. Findings will help inform future approaches to primary care access and chronic disease management, and the study offers another avenue for Island NPs to highlight the full scope of their leadership and their ability to provide excellent, individualized, and holistic care to all patients.