Effectiveness of self-management programmes in diabetes management: A systematic review

Abstract

Background: Diabetes is a major noncommunicable disease, which is increasing, and approximately 415 million people are affected around the globe. Since diabetes is a lifelong disease, patients require better understanding and knowledge of the condition to become self-reliant in making diabetes-related decisions.

Aims: This systematic review was performed to assess the effectiveness of diabetes self-management programs in people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was undertaken to identify all published English language articles through EBSCO discovery services in the following electronic database: Science Direct, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE, and Access Medicine. Studies were published from January 2000 to October 2015. The initial search retrieved 37 566 studies and based on the inclusion criteria, 14 studies were selected for review.

Results: Of 14 studies, most findings favoured diabetes self-management. But the overall effectiveness of individual interventions was not conclusive. A wide variety of interventions was used including diabetes education as a major component in self-management programs.

Conclusion: Interventions used varied strategies in differing composition, and further work is needed to find out the effectiveness of individual interventions.

Keywords: self-care; self-management; type 2 diabetes.