The Diabetes Self-Care Calendar for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural Indonesia: a pilot study.

Abstract

Diabetes self-care reminders are widely applied to improve self-care among diabetes patients. Unfortunately, there is a lack of self-care reminders for diabetes patients who live in rural areas of developing countries with limited resources. The study evaluated the feasibility of the Diabetes Self-Care Calendar as a reminder tool for self-care. The study was conducted in a community health centre in Pekalongan Regency, Indonesia. The Diabetes Self-Care Calendar was developed as a reminder tool following the American Association of Diabetes Educator self-care guidelines. The feasibility of the calendar was evaluated using the quality assessment questionnaire that assessed accessibility, acceptability, effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness. The participants' qualitative feedback was organised into themes. A total of 10 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus participated in the study. The quality of the calendar was evaluated in terms of accessibility (m = 9.5; range = 0 - 10), acceptability (m = 9.7; range = 0 - 10), effectiveness (m = 9.3; range = 0 - 10), efficiency (m = 9; range = 0 - 10) and appropriateness (m = 9; range = 0 - 10). The feasibility of the calendar was m = 9.3 (range = 9 to 9.7). Three themes emerged based on the participants' qualitative feedback included family involvement, calendar portability and calendar design. The findings suggest the Diabetes Self-Care Calendar is feasible as a reminder tool for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients who live in rural areas.