This systematic review found robust data demonstrating that engagement in diabetes self-management education results in a statistically significant decrease in A1C levels .
PRACTICE IMPLICATION S The data suggest mode of delivery , hours of engagement , and baseline A1C can affect the likelihood of achieving statistically significant and clinical ly meaningful improvement in A1C
OBJECTIVE Assess effect of diabetes self-management education and support methods , providers , duration , and contact time on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes .
Comparative effectiveness of patient education methods for type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Group education for patients with suboptimally controlled diabetes has not been rigorously studied . METHODS A total of 623 adults from Minnesota and New Mexico with type 2 diabetes and glycosylated hemoglobin ( HbA(1c ) ) concentrations of 7 % or higher were r and omized to ( 1 ) group education ( using the US Diabetes Conversation Map program ) , ( 2 ) individual education , or ( 3 ) usual care ( UC ; ie , no assigned education ) . Both education methods covered content as needed to meet national st and ards for diabetes self-management education and were delivered through accredited programs from 2008 to 2009 . General linear mixed-model methods assessed patient-level changes between treatment groups in mean HbA(1c ) levels from baseline to follow-up at 6.8 months . Secondary outcomes included mean change in general health status ( Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short Form Health Survey [ SF-12 ] ) , Problem Areas in Diabetes ( PAID ) , Diabetes Self-Efficacy ( DES-SF ) , Recommended Food Score ( RFS ) , and Physical Activity ( PA , min/wk ) . RESULTS Mean HbA(1c ) concentration decreased in all groups but significantly more with individual ( -0.51 % ) than group education ( -0.27 % ) ( P = .01 ) and UC ( -0.24 % ) ( P = .01 ) . The proportion of subjects with follow-up HbA(1c ) concentration lower than 7 % was greater for individual education ( 21.2 % ) than for group ( 13.9 % ) and UC ( 12.8 % ) ( P = .03 ) . Compared with UC , individual education ( but not group ) improved SF-12 physical component score ( + 1.88 ) ( P = .04 ) , PA ( + 42.95 min/wk ) ( P = .03 ) , and RFS ( + 0.63 ) ( P = .05 ) . Compared with group education , individual education reduced PAID ( -3.62 ) ( P = .02 ) and increased self-efficacy ( + 0.1 ) ( P = .04 ) . CONCLUSIONS Individual education for patients with established suboptimally controlled diabetes result ed in better glucose control outcomes than did group education using Conversation Maps . There was also a trend toward better psychosocial and behavioral outcomes with individual education . TRIAL REGISTRATION clinical trials.gov Identifier : NCT00652509
This systematic review found robust data demonstrating that engagement in diabetes self-management education results in a statistically significant decrease in A1C levels .
PRACTICE IMPLICATION S The data suggest mode of delivery , hours of engagement , and baseline A1C can affect the likelihood of achieving statistically significant and clinical ly meaningful improvement in A1C
OBJECTIVE Assess effect of diabetes self-management education and support methods , providers , duration , and contact time on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes .