The feasibility of a self-management education program for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Do the perceptions of patients and educators match?

Abstract

To compare the feasibility experienced by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in a self-management educational program to the hindrance assessed by the educator of the program. Twenty-five type 2 diabetes patients on maximally tolerated oral hypoglycaemic agents followed a 6-month educational program consisting of five components: background, medication, physical exercise, nutrition and blood glucose self-monitoring. Medication was unchanged during the study. Outcome measures were feasibility encountered by the patient, hindrance observed by the educator and HbA(1c)-level. The feasibility encountered by patients was significantly related to the hindrance assessed by the educators (rho 0.756, p<0.001). Feasibility increased significantly for three components but not for physical exercise and nutritional advice. Mean HbA(1c)-level decreased from 8.2+/-1.1% before onset of the program to 7.2+/-1.3% 6 weeks after termination of the program. Feasibility experienced by the patients matched the hindrance noticed by the educators. This might have led to an increase in patients' self-efficacy, which in turn gives an improvement in self-management and glycaemic control.