Hema Malini
University of Andalas, Indonesia
Title: The effectiveness of diabetes education program in rural community health services
Biography
Biography: Hema Malini
Abstract
Aims. To describe the process development of group-based diabetes education program in the Indonesian context. Background. People with diabetes need significant knowledge and skills in managing their disease. Evidence has shown that an effective way to increase the knowledge of people with diabetes to enable them to perform good self-management is through a structured health education program. However, such a program has hardly implemented in developing countries. In this present study, the process of developing such a program is described, focusing primarily on two main aspects of the study: the development and implementation. Findings. Overall, throughout the course of the program, some changes in diabetes knowledge, self-care activities, and glycaemic blood level (HbA1c) were observed. It was found that there were some misperceptions in diabetes management in patients prior to attending the program. Experience in attending and being involved in the program was explored and several benefits were identified. These benefiteincluded improved knowledge and confidence in diabetes management. Conclusion. The application of the program benefitted patients and health professionals in terms of improving knowledge and skills. It also had a positive impact in terms of the experience it gave to those involved in the program.This study demonstrated that a structured group-based education program can work in the Indonesian setting and can bring short-term improvement to both people with diabetes as well asbenefit the health professionals involved.