Individual perception of education and treatment versus actual outcome. A theoretical model exemplified by an interventional study on patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

ABSTRACT

An educational model is presented that stresses the importance of the interaction between individual characteristics and intentional educational influences on outcome variation. This model is exemplified by an interventional study of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who, despite long-term conventional medical treatment, had been unable to achieve satisfactory hemoglobin Alc levels. Treatment modes and their importance for understanding variations in outcomes are discussed from the interactional perspective suggested in the model.