Diabetes self-management education: acceptability of using trained lay educators

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Chronic disease management
• Qualitative research

Background:

• Lay people can enhance healthcare capacity and cost-efficiency for chronic condition education.
• This qualitative substudy is part of a larger equivalence trial (2008-2011).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient and educator perceptions of using lay people to deliver type 2 diabetes education.
• To understand factors influencing the acceptability of lay educators in diabetes education.
• To complement quantitative findings from the main trial.

Main Methods:

• 27 telephone interviews were conducted with patients, lay educators, and healthcare professional educators.
• Purposive sampling ensured diverse stakeholder representation.
• Thematic analysis using the constant comparative approach and Framework methodology was applied.

Main Results:

• Lay educators were generally found to be acceptable to both patients and educators.
• Perceived knowledge differences between lay and healthcare professional educators did not affect acceptability or perceived effectiveness.
• Concerns included lay educators transferring personal issues and the time commitment for healthcare professional mentorship.

Conclusions:

• Positive perceptions of lay educators align with positive quantitative trial findings.
• Acceptability is crucial for implementing this lay educator model.
• Training for lay educators should address identified concerns to ensure successful implementation.