The Effect of an Educational Intervention on Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Referring to Tamin Ejtemaei Hospital in 2013

Diabetes is a chronic disease, persisting throughout one’s life. This condition has direct and indirect impacts on the quality of life (QOL) of diabetic patients. The increased incidence of diabetes-associated problems results in decreased QOL in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an educational program in increasing QOL in diabetic patients, referring to the clinic of Tamin Ejtemaei Hospital in Khoramabad, Iran in 2013. This quasi-experimental, with a two-group pretest-posttest design, was carried out on 80 diabetic patients, referring to Tamin Ejtemaei Hospital (48 men, 32 women). The subjects were divided into 2 groups: case group (40 patients) and control group (40 individuals). The subjects were within the age range of 30-70 years. Demographic data were collected using a questionnaire, and QOL was determined using SF-20 questionnaire and interviews. The training sessions were held for the case group, using direct and indirect methods. Three months after the intervention, the two groups were re-evaluated, using the questionnaire; the pre- and post-test data were compared within the groups. ANOVA and paired t-test were performed, using SPSS version 17. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Overall, 40% and 60% of the subjects were females and males, respectively. The mean duration of diabetes was 9.50±7.70 years. QOL in 31.92%, 29.78%, and 38.30% of the subjects was low, medium, and high, respectively. There was a significant difference between the mean QOL before and after the intervention in the case group (P≤ 0.05). Integrated educational programs for patients with type 2 diabetes can improve QOL and decrease diabetes-associated complications. The results showed that adequate training for diabetic patients can increase their satisfaction and QOL.