eISSN: 2576-4497
Submit manuscript...
Short Communication Volume 6 Issue 3
The effect of health educators on diabetes control
Aljohrah Aldubikhi
Verify Captcha
Regret for the inconvenience: we are taking measures to prevent fraudulent form submissions by extractors and page crawlers. Please type the correct Captcha word to see email ID.
Verify Captcha
Regret for the inconvenience: we are taking measures to prevent fraudulent form submissions by extractors and page crawlers. Please type the correct Captcha word to see email ID.
Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence: Aljohrah Aldubikhi, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, Tel +00966555026050
Received: November 27, 2023 | Published: December 4, 2023
Citation: Aldubikhi A. The effect of health educators on diabetes control. Hos Pal Med Int Jnl. 2023;6(3):84. DOI: 10.15406/hpmij.2023.06.00222
Keywords
health educators, diabetes control
Introduction and background
According to the International Diabetes Federation, in 2021, 537 million people aged 20-79 were living with diabetes.1 That number is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. Diabetes is already at epidemic proportions, calling for immediate actions and solutions. One of the approaches to solving this problem is the widespread implementation of Diabetes Education (DE). People don’t have much knowledge about diabetes, regard the disease lightly, and have little understanding of the relationship between control and complications.2 Diabetes educators (DEs) help patients understand their diagnosis and treatment strategies, and empower them to develop effective self-care behaviors.
Methods
This study was focusing on researching the existing data on DE, its effectiveness, implementation strategies and current challenges. An extensive literature research of PubMed and Google Scholar publications was conducted. The relevant publications were thoroughly analyzed to identify the advantages and drawbacks of DE, as well as the challenges it is currently facing.
Results
Our research demonstrates that DE has a strong positive effect on diabetes control and prevention. It was shown that educational interventions may potentially lead to improved glycemic control levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, despite heterogeneity across the studies.3 Another systematic review, conducted in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, demonstrated that patient outcomes significantly improved in at least 60% of all cases with the involvement of Diabetes Educators.4 It was also established that self-efficacy was directly affected by health literacy, influencing predicted glycemic control and self-care management skills.5
Discussion
Despite the existing research data on the effectiveness of DE, there are many challenges in the way of its widespread implementation. The barriers to participation in diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) included poor vision and reading problems, inconvenient timings, poor literacy, transportation problems, as well as personal issues such as survival priorities.6,7 The problems listed above were of major importance especially in low- to middle-income countries.
Conclusion
According to the published data, diabetes and its complications can be treated or delayed with improving dietary and physical activity behaviors, medication and regular screening for complications. Results from the ongoing diabetes control and complications trial/ epidemiology of diabetes interventions and complications (DCCT/EDIC) clearly demonstrate that diabetes education involving behavior change has a lasting positive glucose control impact. The role of diabetes educators is dynamic and shaped by the environment in which they practice and by developments in research and technology. Disparities and inequities in access, adoption, and optimization of diabetes technology have become increasingly apparent in the covid-19 pandemic, necessitating health educators to embrace new advances and technology. With many of advances in the field, the role of DEs, now renamed diabetes care and education specialists, is bound to grow and be more exciting.
Acknowledgments
None.
Conflicts of interest
The author declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
References
- Dianna JM, Edward JB. IDF Diabetes Atlas. 10th ed. International Diabetes Federation; 2021.
- M Shah, E Kaselit, M Heisler. The role of community health workers in diabetes: update on current literature. Curr Diab Rep. 2013;13(2):163–171.
- WS Shiferaw, TY Akalu, M Desta, et al. Effect of educational interventions on knowledge of the disease and glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ Open. 2021;11(12):e049806.
- EM Mikhael, MA Hassali, SA Hussain. Effectiveness of diabetes self-management educational programs for type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in middle east countries: a systematic review. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2020;13:117–138.
- BA AL Sharit, EA Alhalal. Effects of health literacy on type 2 diabetic patients' glycemic control, self-management, and quality of life. Saudi Med J. 2022;43(5):465–472.
- MK Rhee, CB Cook, VG Dunbar, et al. Limited health care access impairs glycemic control in low income urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2005;16(4):734–746.
- LS Kahn, K Glaser, CH Fox, et al. Diabetes educators in safety-net practices: a qualitative study. Diabetes Educ. 2011;37(2):212–219.
©2023 Aldubikhi. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially.