[Effects of patient education in type II diabetic patients after clinic admission. Results of a 3 month catamnesis after new patient-centered education]

Abstract

The success of structured teaching programs trying to enable NIDDM patients to carry out effective self-management of their diabetes often does not last very long. Only few type-II-diabetes patients are able to both, control their nutritional behaviour, and maintain metabolic control in the long run. We added therefore a patient-centered motivational support training programme to a regular teaching programme. The underlying hypotheses being that the cognitions of patients with NIDDM frequently cause non-compliant behaviour concerning diet and sports. The motivational training programme aimed at systematic modification of patients' cognitions. 43 type-II-diabetes patients took part in a test of the motivationally supplemented diabetes training. As a result of the training a range of variables such as quality of life, glycosylated haemoglobin, body weight, etc. strongly supported the superiority of the motivational supplemented teaching programme. Unfortunately, effects of the motivational training programme disappeared within three month after completion of the training. These findings suggest that further support is needed to maintain the achieved level of motivation after the training. To address this problem we designed a self-help programme to be worked by the patients themselves whenever metabolic control cannot be maintained.