Education programmes for people with diabetic kidney disease

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Endocrinology
• Public Health

Background:

• Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) management involves complex regimens with often poor patient adherence.
• Interventions to improve adherence typically require intensive education and behavioral counseling.
• The scientific rigor and applicability of educational programs for routine DKD care remain uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the benefits and harms of educational programs for individuals with DKD.
• To assess the impact of educational interventions on patient knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-management behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs.
• Searched multiple databases including Cochrane Renal Group's Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Chinese medicine databases.
• Data extraction and analysis using risk ratios (RR) and mean differences (MD) with random effects models.

Main Results:

• Two studies with 207 patients were included; methodological quality was not high.
• Educational programs improved knowledge in patients with diabetes on dialysis and microalbuminuria across various domains.
• Improvements were noted in self-management behaviors (e.g., foot care, diet, home blood glucose monitoring) and self-efficacy for these patient groups.

Conclusions:

• Educational programs show potential benefits for improving patient knowledge and self-management behaviors in DKD.
• Positive effects on self-efficacy and belief changes were observed in patients with microalbuminuria.
• Limited evidence from small, low-quality studies precludes definitive recommendations for routine use of educational programs in DKD.