Improving diabetes self-management and control through individualized patient counseling: A quasi-experimental study

Background: Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, affecting a large proportion of the global population. This study aims to evaluate the effects of individualized patient counseling on diabetes self-management.

Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a non-randomized two-arm pre-post design. It was conducted at the out-patient clinics of a tertiary care hospital, Gujarat, from February 2023 to August 2023. There were 300 type 2 diabetes patients who belonged to an intervention group receiving 3 monthly 30-minute individualized counseling sessions (n = 150) or a control group continuing usual care (n = 150). Assessments at baseline and 3 months post-intervention compared treatment effects. The outcomes measured were diabetes knowledge, attitudes/beliefs, medication/lifestyle adherence, self-reported quality of life, blood pressure (BP), and HbA1c. The intervention covered medication and lifestyle guidance, self-monitoring skills, barrier identification, and problem-solving with a focus on patient empowerment. The analysis compared within- and between-group changes.

Results: At 3 months, counseled patients showed significantly greater improvements in knowledge (difference 13.6 points), self-care abilities (lifestyle adherence difference 6.6 points), 5.9 mmHg extra drop in systolic BP, and 0.6% higher HbA1c reduction versus controls (all P < 0.05). Greater knowledge gain is strongly correlated with improved HbA1c (r = 0.42). Patients reported medication counseling as the most useful and cost and cultural dietary habits as key ongoing barriers.

Conclusion: Individualized counseling promoted better self-management behaviors, improved clinical measures, and subjective well-being in diabetes patients versus usual care alone. Routine Counseling should be considered to complement medical management in high-risk chronic diseases.