The individual empowerment program improves glycemic and lipid controls in admitted type 2 DM patients

Abstract

AIM. To evaluate the short-term effects of the empowerment program on glycemic and lipid profiles in an inpatient setting for DM type 2 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted between October 2013 and June 2015. We enrolled diabetes patients admitted to the hospital, age over 35 years, and HbA1c > 7%. During the admission, the intervention group received the empowerment course three times prior to discharge, the control group received standard diabetes and nursing care. All patients' body weight, HbA1c, HDL-c, and LDL levels were evaluated at three and six months after discharge. All outcomes were compared between the control and intervention group. RESULTS. A total of 57 diabetes patients participated in the study, with 27 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. The intervention group had significantly higher HbA1c levels than the control group (10.3% vs 8.0%; p value < 0.001). After discharge, the mean HbA1c and LDL-c levels of the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group at three and six months, while the mean HDL-c level of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group at six months (1.54 vs 1.29 mmol/L; p value < 0.001). The average body mass index of the intervention group was also significantly lower than that of the control group at six months (22.74 vs 25.54 kg/m2; p value = 0.016). CONCLUSION. The individual empowerment program improved short-term glycemic and lipid outcomes in admitted diabetes mellitus patients.