Effects of Visiting Nurses' Individually Tailored Education for Low-Income Adult Diabetic Patients in Korea

• Published in: Public health Nursing Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 429 - 437
• Main Authors: Ko, Il Sun, Lee, Tae Hwa, Kim, Gwang Suk, Kang, Se Won, Kim, Mi Ja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.09.2011; Wiley-Blackwell; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose; Community Health Nursing; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - nursing; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Health education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health participants; Humans; individually tailored education; Low income groups; low-income patients; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Nursing; Patient Education as Topic - methods; Patient-Centered Care; Poverty; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Republic of Korea; Self Care; Visiting nurses; Asia; Korea; Republic of Korea; South Korea; Endocrinopathy; Human; Socioeconomic status; Health staff; Diabetes mellitus; low-income patients; Personal income; Income; visiting nurses; Patient; individually tailored education; Teaching; Education; Adult; diabetes; Public health; Nurse
• ISSN: 0737-1209; 1525-1446
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1525-1446.2011.00941.x

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the effects of individually tailored education by visiting nurses for low‐income adult diabetic patients. Design and Sample: This one‐group pretest‐posttest study included 96 newly registered low‐income adult diabetic patients in a public health center in DJ‐gu (similar to a county in the United States) in 2006; the patients met the selection criteria. Measures: Diabetes knowledge, self‐management, and blood glucose levels were compared before and after education. Intervention: 15 visiting nurses delivered individually tailored education for 60–90 min/month for 7 months. Results: After education, diabetes knowledge (p<.001) and self‐management in all categories of lifestyle (p<.001), diet (p<.001), exercise (p<.001), foot care (p<.001), medication (p=.004), and insulin therapy (p=.022) significantly improved. The mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) level decreased by 14.53 mg/dl; this decrease was insignificant (p=.117). However, the relationship between education and FBG levels was significant (χ2=40.11, p=.005). Conclusions: Tailored education effectively improved the patients' knowledge of diabetes and self‐management. Therefore, regular, individually tailored education on a long‐term basis by visiting nurses can provide essential education to low‐income adult diabetic patients for maintaining self‐management.