Patient engagement with a diabetes self-management intervention

To explore how people living with type 2 diabetes self-manage their condition in everyday life and the impact of the Diabetes Manual programme, a one-to-one structured educational intervention aiming to increase skills and confidence for self-management.

Semi-structured interviews with 12 participants on the Diabetes Manual trial, sampled purposively according to baseline self-efficacy and educational attainment.

When describing their experience of living with diabetes, there was little difference between intervention and control participants, although those who had received the programme talked more about the use of blood glucose self-assessment. Programme users were grouped into three categories, Programme Engagers (n = 2), Programme Browsers (n = 4) and Information Seekers (n = 6). Of the two participants engaging with the programme, one described a very positive experience, the other felt unsupported by their practice. None noticed a difference in the approach used by their health professional. Participants' approach to the Diabetes Manual programme suggests they will continue to use it as a resource in the future.

Participants used the Diabetes Manual programme in different ways, choosing the timing and depth of engagement. Their experience suggests that the programme requires close communication and openness towards collaborative approaches to improve skills and confidence for self-management.