Effects of a Self-Management Short Course Instruction on Glycemic Control in Adults with Diabetes Mellitus

Background Education is an integral part of the treatment in diabetes mellitus. Attendance at long courses might not be convenient for many patients. Objectives The current study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of self-management, short course instruction on glycemic control in adults with diabetes mellitus. Patients and Methods A total of 60 patients with diabetes mellitus were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 30) and control (n = 30) groups. Fasting blood sugar (FBS) and blood sugar (BS) (5pm) tests were conducted. The intervention group received instructionabout self-management in diabetes mellitus for two hours, during two sessions. They were followed-up for three months with telephone calls. Patients asked any questions they had during these calls. After three months the patients’ FBS and BS were recorded again. The same process took place in the control group without training. Independent sample t-test and chi-square tests were used to analyze data using SPSS version 16.0. Results The sample included 60 patients with a mean age of 46 ± 2.14 years. The FBS dropped from 151 mg/dL to 110 mg/dL in the intervention group (P = 0.02). While it increased from 146 mg/dL to 150 mg/dL in the control group. The BS also decreased from231 mg/dL to 196 in the intervention group. (P = 0.05), but it increased from 240 to 247 in the control group (P = 0.09). There was a significant difference in FBS and BS tests in the two groups after three months. (P = 0.002, P = 0.05), respectively. Conclusions The results showed that a short course of instruction is effective in glycemic control. It is suggested that further research is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of self-management long course instruction on glycemic control in adults with diabetes mellitus.