Clinical Staff Training and Resources

Diabetes self-management education for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review of the effect on glycemic control

This systematic review found robust data demonstrating that engagement in diabetes self-management education results in a statistically significant decrease in A1C levels.The review included 118 unique interventions, with 61.9% reporting significant changes in A1C. Overall mean reduction in A1C was 0.74 and 0.17 for intervention and control groups; an average absolute reduction in A1C of 0.57. A combination of group and individual engagement results in the largest decreases in A1C (0.88). Contact hours > or = 10 were associated with a greater proportion of interventions with significant reduction in A1C (70.3%). In patients with persistently elevated glycemic values (A1C > 9), a greater proportion of studies reported statistically significant reduction in A1C (83.9%).

Practice implications: The data suggest mode of delivery, hours of engagement, and baseline A1C can affect the likelihood of achieving statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in A1C.

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Clinical practice guidelines are key to improving population health; however, for optimal outcomes, diabetes care must be individualized for each patient. The American Diabetes Association in the January 2016 edition of Diabetes Care highlights the following three themes that clinicians, policymakers, and advocates should keep in mind: (1) Patient-Centeredness, (2) Diabetes Across the Life Span , and (3) Advocacy for Patients With Diabetes.

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