The role of patient education in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes: an overview.
The management of type 2 diabetes mellitus includes ability and empowerment of the patient to change lifestyle, maintain an adequate diet and physical activity, manage the disease, and follow a specific program of periodic medical checks and education sessions. In addition, the patient should be able to correctly identify and adequately solve problems related to the disease and actively collaborate with the healthcare system. To obtain these goals, therapeutic patient education (TPE) is now considered a crucial element not only in the treatment but also in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Several trials showed that TPE is able to improve clinical, lifestyle, and psycho-social outcomes. Nevertheless, studies have not clarified the ideal characteristics of a comprehensive patient education program in clinical practice. Other work is needed to answer open questions regarding the type of PTE (individual or group education), themes, frequency and number of education sessions, contact time between educator and patient, background of educators, use of new technologies, and barriers to self-management. The present review discusses these points on the basis of the most recent data of the literature.
Diabetes and Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases Unit and the Centre for Applied Clinical Research (Ce.R.C.A.), Clinical Institute "Beato Matteo" Vigevano, Corso Pavia, 84, 27029, Vigevano, Italy. coppola.adri@gmail.com.|Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. coppola.adri@gmail.com.
Adriana
A
Coppola
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Loredana
L
Sasso
Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
Annamaria
A
Bagnasco
Chair of Endocrinology, A.O. Spedali Civili, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
Andrea
A
Giustina
Diabetes and Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases Unit and the Centre for Applied Clinical Research (Ce.R.C.A.), Clinical Institute "Beato Matteo" Vigevano, Corso Pavia, 84, 27029, Vigevano, Italy.
Carmine
C
Gazzaruso
D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012648:Self Care
Diabetes; Lifestyle; Patient education; Self-management