Diabetes knowledge in a high risk urban population.

ABSTRACT

This study explored the impact of an intensive educational intervention to patients on their knowledge and understanding of diabetes. This study was a hypothesis-testing, prospective study, with an experimental two-by-two factorial design. The educational programs were offered to physicians only, patients only, or both patients and their physicians. In the fourth arm, neither patients nor their physicians received any education. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes were enrolled in the study. The outcome was the changes in the score of patients on the diabetes knowledge test. The knowledge test was administered at the time of enrollment and every six months thereafter. The study showed that a total of 622 (75%) patients took the diabetes knowledge test. The mean diabetes knowledge test score increased over time for both insulin and non-insulin users. The mean diabetes knowledge score in patients with patient education only was 11 points higher compared to those in the group of patients and their physicians without education (P=.0104). The study indicated that patients who are exposed to the educational program end up with better knowledge on all counts, than patients who just go through the health care system in the course of usual care for diabetes.