Abstract

Background/Purpose: Diabetes is a condition in which the body is not able to produce or respond to insulin resulting in decreased energy to perform activities of daily living. The main goal of an educational program is to improve outcomes and quality of life. Mariners Hospital has had a Diabetes Self-Management Educational (DSME) program since 2008. However, the program has never been evaluated for its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of Mariners Hospital’s Diabetes Educational pro-gram in improving coping skills and quality of life for people living with diabetes.

Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental design utilizing the Living with Diabetes (LWD) survey, which was implemented pre and post the 10-week educational program. The validated survey consisted of 15 questions with responses based on a five-point Likert scale, designed to assess the understanding of the participants’ knowledge and coping ability. All patients in the education program were invited to participate. To maintain anonymity and the sanctity of the study, no identifiable information was collected from the participants. A total of 32 participants were enrolled at the inception of the program and 50% completed the study.

Results: There was an increase in the patients’ LWD rating post-program (M = 66.38, SD = 5.8) compared to pre-program as shown by t -tests. (M = 51.94, SD = 9.75), t (46) = 5.44, p < .001, Cohen’s d = 1.80. The 95% CI for the mean difference in rating was 9.09 to 19.78. The results demonstrated that participants were able to increase their understand-ing and coping skills of diabetes self-management after the structured outpatient educa-tional program.

Conclusion/Implications for Practice: People living with diabetes need the tools and resources to care for themselves. The implication for practice may demonstrate a decrease in emergency room visits and hospital admissions. The educational program showed a significant improvement in the quality of life for people living with diabetes, which will result in positive outcomes for the individual, their families and the community.

Publication Date

10-25-2019

Presented At:

14th Annual BHSF Research Conference

Content Type

Poster

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