National standards for diabetes patient education programs: pilot study results and implementation plan. A report by the National Standards Steering Committee of the National Diabetes Advisory Board

Towards a better understanding of self-management interventions in type 2 diabetes: A concept analysis

OBJECTIVES

Diabetes self-management educational (DSME) interventions can vary considerably, and it is unclear what is the operational conceptualization of the ideal delivery to individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

DESIGN

From a search conducted concurrently we extracted and evaluated the 50 most recently published DSME intervention studies. Based on an analysis of these studies, we undertook a concept analysis using the Walker and Avant framework.

RESULTS

Five attributes describing the concept were recognized and organized into two groups. Group (a): skills related attributes that included (1) decision making, (2) problem solving and (3) taking action. Group (b): information related attributes that included (4) patient-provider interaction and (5) resource utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of this study make the operational conceptualization of the ideal DSME intervention measurable through its attributes and hence clarifies its delivery. This will improve the implementation of the key attributes in diabetes self-management intervention programs for T2D.

Developing a computerized diabetes self-management education module for documenting outcomes

PURPOSE

This paper describes a process used to develop a computerized diabetes self-management education record that complies with the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education Programs.

METHODS

A working prototype was developed to computerize 1 of the 15 content modules outlined in the National Standards for use on the World Wide Web. During program development, three consultants reviewed the content and proposed structure. For the subsequent prototype, five diabetes educators served as users and evaluated the content, design, and flow of the system.

RESULTS

The module was found to be thorough in terms of curriculum content and proposed structure for subsequent teaching. Overall, users were satisfied with the graphic interface screens and provided important feedback for determining specific modifications for future development.

CONCLUSIONS

The World Wide Web format provides a universal platform for documenting diabetes education outcomes and allows a broad range of access and networking capabilities.

Establishing and sustaining state-of-the-art diabetes patient education programs: research and recommendations

Frequently, diabetes educators in hospitals report meeting severe organizational barriers when attempting to implement advances in diabetes patient education (DPE). This paper reports on how eight successful diabetes patient education programs coped with potential barriers. The results are based on interviews of professionals who played central roles in introducing and sustaining the programs. Many of the identified problems centered around two issues--acquiring needed resources and communicating about the program to a variety of key groups.