In recent years, great emphasis has been placed on the role of non-pharmacological
self-management in the care of patients with diabetes. Studies have reported that
nurses, compared to other healthcare professionals, are more likely to promote
preventive healthcare seeking behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the
effectiveness of a nurse-led diabetes self-management education on glycosylated
hemoglobin. A two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial with the blinded
outcome assessors was designed. One hundred forty-two adults with type 2 diabetes
were randomized to receive either usual diabetes care (control group) or usual care
plus a nurse-led diabetes self-management education (intervention group). Duration
of the intervention was 12 weeks. The primary outcome was glycosylated hemoglobin
(HbA1c values). Secondary outcomes were changes in blood pressure, body weight,
lipid profiles, self-efficacy (efficacy expectation and outcome expectation), selfmanagement behaviors, quality of life, social support and depression. Outcome
measures were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 weeks post-randomization.
Patients in the intervention group showed significant improvement in HbA1c, blood
pressure, body weight, efficacy expectation, outcome expectation and diabetes selfmanagement behaviors. The beneficial effect of a nurse-led intervention continued to
accrue beyond the end of the trial resulting in sustained improvements in clinical,
lifestyle and psychosocial outcomes.
This study is registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials number
IRCT2016062528627N1