Summary
Diabetes has grown into a critical healthcare issue over recent several decades, causing severe health inconveniences for patients. Moreover, the disease places a tremendous financial burden on the healthcare budget, requiring significant material and staff resources. In this regard, numerous studies have examined efficient practices to prevent and treat diabetes. This paper analyzes the article “Impact of educational group strategy to improve clinical and glycemic parameters in individuals with diabetes and hypertension” by Favaro et al. (2016), including its primary purpose, methods, and results.
Analysis
The study’s primary objective is to assess the effect of educational group strategy on glycemic, clinical, and anthropometric parameters of patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension. The primary reason for the study was connected with that the healthcare system pays inadequate attention to engaging individuals with non-communicable chronic diseases (NCCD) in beneficial educational and self-care activities (Favaro et al., 2016). The study’s population comprised diabetic and hypertensive persons aged over 18. The sample included 172 patients attending more than 75 percent of educational group sessions.
The collected data considered sociodemographic information, life habits, clinical history, anthropometric data, body mass index (BMI), and laboratory data. To perform the descriptive analysis of quantitative variables, the authors applied measurement of dispersion and central tendency (Favaro et al., 2016). In addition, the inferential statistical analysis, Levene test, and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test were conducted to compare findings gained in the first, fifth, and eighth sessions. Researchers also utilized the Friedman and Dunn tests to explore and compare non-parametrical dependent variables.
Based on the Friedman test, systolic blood pressure demonstrated considerable statistical outcomes. Nevertheless, the Dunn post-test showed no significance in BMI, waist circumference, and weight comparisons. Diastolic blood pressure notably reduced, while HbA1c levels decreased insignificantly: only 0.3 percent from the first to the eighth session. Altogether, the study showed the comparative utility and relevance of the application of educational practices for patients with diabetes and hypertension. These findings are directly related to my daily work duties since medical professionals frequently have to interact with and care for patients with NCDs. Moreover, patient education acquires increasing importance in a healthcare environment as an essential technique to prevent chronic illnesses and improve patients’ well-being.
Reference
Favaro, D. T. L., dos Santos Sasaki, S. G. M., Vendramini, S. H. F., Castiglioni, L., Santos, S. G., & de Lourdes, M. (2016). Impact of educational group strategy to improve clinical and glycemic parameters in individuals with diabetes and hypertension. Investigacion y Educacion en Enfermeria, 34(2), 314-321. Web.