Telephone pharmacist coaching did not improve HbA1c in poorly controlled diabetes
Last updated May 29, 2026
Key finding
In adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, a telephone pharmacist intervention did not improve HbA1c or medication adherence compared with usual care.
This large pragmatic trial tested telephone coaching from clinical pharmacists for adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. The program combined motivational interviewing and shared decision-making, but it did not improve HbA1c or medication adherence compared with usual care in the main analysis.
Quick read
Study at a glance
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EvidenceScore™
Moderate
Study type
Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
Follow-up
Medium-Term (3–12 mo)
Risk of bias
Some Concerns
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Plain-language summary
What this paper says
A plain-language read of the study’s main message and where it applies.
Study focus
In adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, a telephone pharmacist intervention did not improve HbA1c or medication adherence compared with usual care.
Published in
Journal Reference
Publication details and source links for this paper.
Lauffenburger JC, Ghazinouri R, Jan S, et al. Impact of a novel pharmacist-delivered behavioral intervention for patients with poorly-controlled diabetes: The ENGAGE-DM pragmatic randomized trial. PLOS ONE. 2019;14(4):e0214754. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214754
Main Effects
HbA1c ↓ similarly in both groups, with no added benefit from intervention in the main randomized analysis
Medication adherence ↔ showed no meaningful between-group difference
As-treated HbA1c ↓ more among those who received the consultation, but this analysis is less definitive
Evidence Suggest
- The trial randomized 1,400 adults with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in a 1:1 ratio.
- The primary 12-month HbA1c difference was +0.04 percentage points for intervention versus usual care.
- Only 202 intervention-arm participants completed an initial pharmacist consultation.
Who this applies to
Adults aged 18 to 64 with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes
Keep in Mind
The main randomized result found no improvement compared with usual care.
Between the Lines
- Open-label behavioral intervention with patients and pharmacists aware of assignment.
- Follow-up HbA1c values were missing for about 29% of participants and imputed.
- Only about 30% of intervention participants completed the first consultation.
- Adherence was measured indirectly using pharmacy claims.
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