Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of an education program on diabetes self-management among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who had experienced an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).
Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at a training and research hospital in Turkey, which also functions as a cardiology specialty center. The hospital features two coronary intensive care units and three cardiology departments. Data collection took place between January 15 and June 15, 2023. In total, 102 patients with T2D who had undergone AMI were selected and randomly assigned to either the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received individualized diabetes education through two sessions, each lasting approximately 15 minutes. Diabetes self-management levels were assessed at baseline and again one month after the educational intervention. This study followed the consolidated standards of reporting trials reporting guidelines.
Results: At the 1-month follow-up, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher diabetes self-management scores compared with the control group (p<0.001). Intra-group analysis further indicated a substantial improvement in the intervention group’s post-education self-management scores compared with their pre-education scores (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The educational program significantly improved diabetes self-management among patients with T2D following AMI. Nurse-led educational intervention is an effective approach that can be seamlessly integrated into routine patient care for this population.