Purpose of ProjectType 2 diabetes (T2D) imposes a key burden on health and quality of life for millions of adults. Evidence-based Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) programs have improved patient outcomes by enhancing self-efficacy and decreasing diabetes-related suffering. This project intended to implement a structured DSME intervention at primary care clinic in New Jersey, and evaluate its effect on quality of life using the Revised Diabetes Quality of Life (RDQOL) survey.MethodsA pre–post intervention quality enhancement design guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was used. Sixteen adults with T2D joined up, and 14 completed the intervention. Participants attended four biweekly, 30-minute DSME sessions covering nutrition, physical activity, medication adherence, and self-care. The RDQOL survey was administered at baseline (Weeks 1–2) and post-intervention (Weeks 9–10). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to compare pre- and post-intervention scores.ResultsBaseline RDQOL scores averaged 70.3, whereas post-intervention scores decreased significantly to 36.6, indicating an improvement in quality of life. Attendance surpassed the 80% goal, with 14 out of 16 participants completing all four sessions. These findings established the effectiveness of DSME in developing patient-reported outcomes in a primary care setting.Implications for PracticeEmploying DSME in primary care provides a practical and efficient strategy to address self-management issues in adults with T2D. Enhanced quality of life agrees with national diabetes care standards, strengthening the role of DSME as an important element of chronic disease management. Future projects should investigate mixed or virtual setups to report on participation barriers and increase access, particularly for underserved populations.
Stella Opara (Thu,) studied this question.