Influence of small-group education sessions on glucose homeostasis in NIDDM

• Published in: Diabetes care Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 67 - 71
• Main Authors: Raz, I, Soskolne, V, Stein, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Diabetes Association 01.01.1988
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose - analysis; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - therapy; Female; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Group Processes; Homeostasis; Hospitals; Humans; Israel; Male; Middle Aged; Patient Education as Topic - methods
• ISSN: 0149-5992; 1935-5548
• DOI: 10.2337/diacare.11.1.67

Influence of small-group education sessions on glucose homeostasis in NIDDM. I Raz , V Soskolne and P Stein Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. Abstract In patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), the influence of knowledge about their disease on the treatment and control of the disease is not clear. We evaluated the efficacy of educational group meetings with NIDDM patients on improving their knowledge of the disease and on disease management. Fifty-one NIDDM patients were randomly assigned to either intervention or control groups. The intervention group participated in courses of three weekly lessons presented by a physician, nurse, and dietitian once every 4 mo. The intervention and control groups were also followed once every 2 mo in the clinic by the same staff. Medical treatment remained unchanged during the study. After a 12-mo follow-up of the intervention group, no significant improvement in their knowledge of diabetes could be demonstrated. However, mean fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels and HbA1c improved significantly in comparison with the control group. The same tendency was evident with the weight and lipoprotein profile. We conclude that educational group therapy can improve diabetes control in patients with NIDDM.