Impact of an educational intervention in the management of individuals with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus using insulin therapy.

Objective: To investigate the effects of problematizing intervention in the treatment of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methodology: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in 41 patients ages 18 to 64 with type 2 diabetes who were treated with insulin and had glycosylated hemoglobin greater than 7.0%. The mean age of participants was 55.9 (SD = 5.49). A high percentage of patients had comorbidities such as hypertension (92.7%), dyslipidemia (68.3%), overweight (95%), retinopathy (41%), and neuropathy (39%). The patients in the intervention group participated in 6 educational groups using problematization methodology, whereas the patients in the control group attended only routine consultations. Sociodemographic, clinical, behavioral, and lifestyle variables were assessed.

Results: After 6 months of follow-up, no statistically significant difference in glycemic control and anthropometric parameters was observed between participants in either study group. The intervention group showed an increase in knowledge about the disease, and an improvement in total cholesterol and uric acid levels.

Conclusion: The use of a problematizing intervention provided an improvement in behavioral as well as specific clinical parameters, compared to routine diabetes care. However, longer follow-up time for these patients could bring benefits regarding glycemic control.