Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is becoming a global health concern due to its prevalence and projected growth. Despite a growing number of interventions for secondary prevention of diabetes, there is a persistent poor glycemic control and poor adherence to the prescribed diabetes management regimen. In light of the tremendous costs of diabetes to both individuals and the society, it is pressing to find effective ways to improve diabetes self-management (DSM) and treatment adherence. Occupational therapists can bring values to the diabetes care team by evaluating multiple levels of influence on DSM, addressing personal and environmental barriers to well-being and DSM, and supporting patients to develop of a highly complex competences and skills to satisfactorily self-manage diabetes. This article summarizes two evidence-based, well-structured occupational therapy (OT) programs that use activity-based treatments and psychosocial strategies, respectively, to improve DSM abilities and to enhance quality of life. As the needs of adolescents with diabetes are quite different from other diabetic populations, this article also provides a summary of pediatric OT interventions that aim to facilitate autonomy and development of DSM ability among adolescents with diabetes. Evidence indicates that OT interventions can improve the quality of life and treatment adherence in patients with diabetes and hence should be continued and built on to address the increasing needs of diabetic populations.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is a growing health concern around the world
Considering the persistent poor glycemic control and the considerable biopsychosocial demands to carry out diabetes self-management (DSM) activities, there has been a call for effective approaches that could help patients deal with the daily challenges relating to diabetes, improve their adherence to the recommended diabetes management regimen, and sustain the improvements in glycemic control achieved in DSM interventions [18]
Findings of this study showed a significant improvement in intervention group (IG) group, as compared to control group (CG), in glycemic control ([HbA1c] = -0.57%/6.2mmol/mol vs. +0.36%/3.9mmol/mol, p = 0.01), diabetes-related quality of life (+0.7 vs. +1.7, p = 0.04), and habits strength for monitoring blood glucose level (+3.9 vs. +1.7, p = 0.05) [11]
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is a growing health concern around the world. In 2016, 415 million people were afflicted with diabetes worldwide, and this number is expected to increase to 642 million, or one in every ten adults by the year 2040[1]. Researchers reported that in 2002 less than 50% of individuals receiving diabetes education had carried out self-management activities successfully in accordance with their diabetes management regimen, and only around 50% of patients had achieved the optimum glycemic control (HbA1c
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