Diabetes Self Management Education for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Abstract
Diabetes, a major public health challenge in St. Kitts, has been a focus of international public health community research. Although researchers have demonstrated that diabetes self-management education is a cost-effective strategy for the prevention of diabetes-related complications, they have yet to establish whether there is adequate education occurring in treatment settings with diabetic patients. The purpose of the study was to implement and evaluate the short-term effectiveness of a diabetes self-management education intervention on diabetes-related knowledge and accepted behavioral changes to decrease risk for complications. Based on a self-care approach, this education intervention was designed to improve diabetes-related knowledge and self-management behaviors. To test and evaluate the pre and post intervention effect, a convenience sample of 15 patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes attending a scheduled diabetic clinic completed the Diabetes Knowledge Test and a researcher-designed sociodemographic survey, which included self-report of blood glucose self-monitoring and foot care behaviors. The results of these analyses indicated that the participants' knowledge level increased (p = < .001). However, Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests determined no significant changes in the participants' self-management behaviors. The results may be attributed to the short time frame of the intervention. The implications for positive social change include opportunities to improve inter-professional collaboration in programs that will create positive effects on diabetic self-care and reduce the incidence of negative health outcomes. Furthermore, the use of a self-care approach by health care professionals could be a key factor in strengthening diabetes knowledge, engagement, and self-management for Type 2 diabetic patients.
