A Prince Edward Island study testing nurse practitioner-led group care for Islanders with Type 2 diabetes has reached full enrollment, with 32 participants now receiving 12 months of coordinated support. Researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), working with Health PEI's Provincial Diabetes Program, report strong early turnout and engagement as the project moves into its data-collection phase.
How the model works
The study, called NPACCESS-DM, organizes participants into four groups of eight who meet together over a year. At each session, patients receive one-on-one time with a nurse practitioner (NP), a registered nurse, and a pharmacist, alongside group education supported by dietetics, social work, UPEI Kinesiology, and Public Health Nursing staff. The approach specifically targets Islanders with Type 2 diabetes who lack a regular primary care provider, a gap that researchers say leaves many without consistent follow-up for a chronic condition that requires ongoing monitoring.
At the first round of visits in September, 31 of the 32 enrolled participants attended, a turnout the research team considers an early sign of demand for this kind of care.
Who is behind it
The study was developed and is led by two nurse practitioners, Dr. Rianne Carragher, an assistant professor in UPEI's Faculty of Nursing, and Lindsay Metzger, who works with Health PEI's Provincial Diabetes Program. Dr. Carragher said the early experience "shows both the need for and interest in innovative, NP-led models of care," and pointed to possible expansion of the underlying ACCESS framework-built around access, collaboration, comprehensive care, empowerment, support and sustainability-into other areas such as women's health, tentatively called NPACCESS-Women+. Metzger noted that many participants entered the study without a consistent source of diabetes care, and said having a dedicated team and a regular place for care "is helping fill an important gap."
What comes next
The project currently runs on minimal funding, and its leaders say expanding the work further will depend on support from government and Health PEI. The research team will keep tracking clinical measures such as HbA1c and blood pressure, along with recruitment, retention, and satisfaction among both participants and staff, to judge whether the model is feasible and acceptable more broadly. The next group visits are scheduled for December 2026, with the study running through June 2027.
Enrollment for the current phase is full, but Health PEI and UPEI say the findings could eventually inform broader approaches to primary care access and chronic disease management across the province and, potentially, in other jurisdictions. Those wanting more information can contact the study team by email or follow its Facebook page, though no new participants are being accepted at this time.