Tailoring nursing interventions to empower patients: personal coping strategies and self-management in type 2 diabetes care

Background Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases that severely reduce a patient's quality of life. Effective self-care and management are critical for maintaining blood glucose levels and preventing complications. Aim This study evaluates the effectiveness of a structured diabetes self-management education program on patients' self-management behaviors, empowerment, and activation levels. Methods This study employed a quasi-experimental design involving 100 participants aged 30-65 to improve diabetes self-management and empowerment. Over 16 weeks, the program included three phases: a two-week pre-test phase for recruitment and baseline assessments using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ), Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES), and Patient Activation Measure (PAM); a 12-week intervention phase featuring weekly 90-minute educational sessions on topics such as diet, exercise, medication adherence, stress management, and self-empowerment; and a two-week post-test phase for follow-up assessments using the same tools. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for PAM levels, and paired t-tests for DSMQ and DES scores, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results The study demonstrated significant improvements in participants' self-management, empowerment, and activation levels after the intervention. DSMQ scores increased from 64.5 to 68.6 (p < 0.001), DES scores rose from 65.4 to 70.0 (p = 0.001), and the number of participants at the highest PAM activation level (Level 4) grew from 30 to 50 (p = 0.016). Positive correlations among DSMQ, DES, and PAM scores suggest these improvements are interrelated. Conclusion The structured diabetes self-management education programme significantly impacted participants' self-management behaviors, empowerment, and activation levels. The findings underscore healthcare professionals' need to implement targeted interventions that facilitate patient engagement in diabetes care. Recommendation Future interventions should be designed to address the specific needs of diverse populations, paying attention to those facing socio-economic challenges. It is vital to facilitate greater access to diabetes self-management education to enhance health outcomes for these demographic groups.