The Effectiveness of a Primary Care Diabetes Education and Self-Management Program in Ireland: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Aims: Self-management education is recognised as an essential element of comprehensive diabetes care. This study aims to assess the impact of the DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) structured diabetes self-management education programme administered by a registered dietitian in a primary-care setting on key clinical indicators (HbA1c, weight and BMI) in participants who returned for the locally developed 6-month follow-up session. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted of participants who attended the DESMOND 6-h structured diabetes self-management education programme and returned for the locally developed follow-up programme during 2018 in the Midwest of Ireland. Paired sample t-tests and McNemar chi-square tests were used to assess any differences between baseline and 6 months post-intervention. Results: There were 66 participants, mean age of 63 years. At follow-up, HbA1c was reduced by 6.45 mmol/mol (standard deviation (SD): 15.02 mmol/mol, p = 0.006). The number of participants below the 53 mmol/mol cut-off increased from 52% at baseline to 71% at follow-up (p < 0.001). A mean weight reduction of 1.4 kg (SD: 4.4 kg, p = 0.21) was found at follow-up. Those in the overweight BMI category decreased from 30.2% to 26.4%, a clinically significant result. Conclusion: Better glycaemic control and clinically significant improvements in BMI and weight were seen at 6 months among participants who attended the DESMOND program and returned for the locally developed follow-up session. This supports the emerging evidence of the effectiveness of self-management education for diabetes care. Further research is required to determine the optimal contact time and frequency of sessions required in order to sustain the observed improvement in clinical outcomes.