Group-based education for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Greece: An observational study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is the assessment of the impact of a brief patient group education intervention (Conversation Maps TM ) in people with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Methods: A total of 138 people with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus who were regular patients at the diabetic clinic of a Primary Health Care setting in Attica participated in the study. The intervention group attended a structured group, brief educational programme (three sessions of two hours each). The main outcome measures were glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Body Mass Index (BMI), triglycerides, High-density lipoprotein (HDL), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), measured at baseline and six months after the intervention. Results: After 6 months, significant reductions were observed between the baseline and follow-up data in HbA1c ( p < .001) in BMI (p < .007) in triglycerides ( p < .003), in LDL-cholesterol ( p < .001), while the mean HDL-cholesterol remained stable ( p = .397). Conclusions: Group-based patient education with Conversation Maps TM for people with type 2 diabetes is effective in the improvement of clinical outcomes.