The Effect of the Supportive Educative Nursing Program on Glycemic Control in Vietnamese Patients with Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of uncontrolled diabetes has dramatically increased. Nursing interventions in this area are limited. This study was a randomized controlled trial design that aimed to test the effect of the supportive educative nursing program on glycemic control in Vietnamese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods: Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=41) and a control group (n=43). Participants in the experimental group received the supportive educative nursing program while the control group received routine care. The glycated hemoglobin (Hb_A1C) level was measured as an indication of glycemic control on day one, before implementation of the program, and at 3 months after, following program implementation. Descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test and the Fisher exact test were used to analyze the data.

Results: After 3 months of program implementation, the mean score of Hb_A1C level in the experimental group (Mean = 8.47%, SD = 1.27) was lower than that in the control group (Mean = 9.4%, SD = 1.36). Moreover, the proportion of glycemic control in the experimental group was significant higher than that in the control group (p<.02).

Conclusions: This finding suggests that a self-care education intervention can improve glycemic control level of Vietnamese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus which leads to better quality of patients’ life.