The role of diabetes self-care education and practice in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)

Abstract

Background. diabetes self-care is yet to be incorporated into diabetes management policy, hence the need to establish its practice as an essential catalyst for good glycemic control in the management of diabetes patients. Objectives. This study was aimed at determining the role of diabetes self-care education (DSME) and practice in the management of T2DM patients. Material and methods. A hospital-based study was conducted on 120 adults with T2DM who had been presenting at the clinic for at least two months. The study participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 was the test group and had DSME, while group 2 served as the control. Data was collected using a questionnaire, and clinical parameters of glycemic control were measured both preand post-intervention period. Results. A significant relationship was found between diabetes education, diabetes self-care and glycemic control. This was demonstrated by the significant difference in the proportion of those who achieved good FPG from 28.3% pre-intervention to 51.7% post--intervention (p = 0.001); 2HPP from 30% to 46.7% (p = 0.060) and HbA 1c from 53.3% to 85% (p < 0.001) in the test group; while that of the control was FPG 18.3% to 30% (p = 1.355), 2HPP 11.7% to 26.7% (p = 0.369) and HbA 1c 43.3% to 53.3% (p = 0.804). This showed a significant improvement in the glycemic control of the test group compared to the control group. Conclusions. We conclude that good knowledge and practice of diabetes self-care is relevant to the achievement of good glycemic control.

The impact of health literacy interventions on glycemic control and self‐management outcomes among type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review

“…In other words, in line with a recent systematic review, 46 participants who engaged more with HL interventions achieved more improvements in glycemic control. Our findings showed that nurse‐led interventions were associated with better glycemic control, 28,32,34–36,39,40 which may be explained by the fact that practice nurses are capable of dealing with complicated health problems and can give information and support to patients and their families efficiently, which are essential in empowering patients to adopt new behavior 47 . Our review highlights that after participating in a 3‐month peer‐education program, individuals in urban areas are more likely to achieve better glycemic control compared to those in rural areas 39 .…”

“…The most common method of intervention delivery was group education 27,29–31,37–41 . In three studies, a combination of group and individual education, 28,32,36 group education and telephone calls, 34 and group education and home visits 33 were used.…”

“…Interventions varied in terms of the type of intervention programs, duration of program, follow-up period, and intervention providers. Intervention time varied from 3 months 27,28,36,38,40,41 to 12 months. [33][34][35] The long follow-up period of 12 months was performed in four studies, 31,33,34,38 and 6-month follow-up was performed in five studies.…”

“…[33][34][35] The long follow-up period of 12 months was performed in four studies, 31,33,34,38 and 6-month follow-up was performed in five studies. 29,30,32,36,37 In eight studies, interventions were delivered by a nurse, 28,31,32,[34][35][36]39,40 in two studies interventions were delivered by a diabetes educator, 37,38 in two studies interventions were delivered by a community worker, 29,30 in one study the intervention was delivered by a support professional, 33 in one study the intervention was delivered a peer educator, 27 and in one study the intervention was delivered by a medical doctor. 41 The most common method of intervention delivery was group education.…”

“…41 The most common method of intervention delivery was group education. 27,[29][30][31][37][38][39][40][41] In three studies, a combination of group and individual education, 28,32,36 group education and telephone calls, 34 and group education and home visits 33 were used. In one study, a combination of group education, home visit, and telephone calls was used.…”