Educational Interventions in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Health Care Settings. A Scoping Review.
Yasmin Alejandra Castillo-Merino, Camila Ospina-Ayala, Natalia Esquivel Garzón and 2 others
PMID 38589333WHAT IT FOUND
Structured education for adults with type 2 diabetes in primary care improved blood sugar control, self-care knowledge, and adherence compared to usual care.
Nurses delivering these interventions saw patients reach target HbA1c levels more often.
Key findings
01Nurse-led structured education significantly reduced HbA1c compared to standard care, with more intervention patients reaching the target of less than 7%.
02Educational interventions improved self-care behaviors, specifically foot care, self-efficacy, and disease knowledge, compared to standard care.
03Group education strategies produced better results in glycemic control and self-care than standard care alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The included studies had varying methodological quality, with many failing to describe allocation concealment or blinding of participants and personnel. The review did not use GRADE methodology to assess the certainty of evidence. Heterogeneity in the types of educational interventions (e.g., group vs. individual, digital vs. face-to-face) makes it difficult to identify which specific component drives the observed benefits. Only 17 studies were included, and the review focused on scoping the evidence rather than performing a meta-analysis of effect sizes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was not funded by a commercial entity selling the interventions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume all educational interventions are equally effective. The review highlights that structured, nurse-led programs with follow-up produced significant HbA1c reductions, while some simpler or less intensive interventions showed no significant difference in metabolic parameters. The quality of evidence was low to moderate due to reporting gaps in the original trials.