The Impact of Two Diabetes Educational Programs on Patients with Diabetes in Malaysia
1633-1640
Correspondence
Mahmoud Al-Haddad,
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang,
Malaysia. Email:dr_mahmoud77@hotmail.com
Tel: +6 012 5534547
Aims: This study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of 2 different diabetes educational programs (less structured vs structured).
Setting: Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Center.
Design: Prospective observational study design.
Methods and Materials: Patients were invited to attend one monthly session of an educational program for a period of 4 months. The first group attended the less structured program while the second group attended the structured program. Patients’ glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Body Mass Index (BMI) and Blood Pressure (BP) were compared at the baseline, end of the program and after four months of the end of the program.
Statistical Analysis: Repeated Measures ANOVA test was used to compare the three periods while Mann Whitney U test was used to compare between both groups. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 12 at a significance level of less than 0.05.
Results: Results showed that HbA1c level significantly increased in the less structured group while significantly reduced in the structured group. BMI showed a slight increase in both groups, but was not statistically significant. On the other hand, systolic BP showed a significant reduction in the less structured group while no significant reduction was found in the structured group. Diastolic BP reduced slightly in both groups but was not statistically significant. Structured diabetes educational program was shown to be more effective than the less structured program. Patients’ BMI has been increased slightly which requires further research to find the reasons behind that. Most other results showed improvements even though some of them were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: This study provides evidence on the effectiveness of diabetes educational program as well as the importance of communication skills in developing any patient-educational programs. As result, it can be used as a guideline for the policymakers in Malaysia for developing diabetes educational programs at the national level.