Effectiveness of therapeutic patient education on diabetes in prison

Therapeutic education is one of the pillars of the approach to diabetes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of group therapeutic patient education in 15 people diagnosed with diabetes, with poor metabolic control, inmates of the Madrid III-Valdemoro Penitentiary Center (Madrid), whose population is exclusively male.

Quasi-experimental study based on 4 training sessions aimed at a group of 15 people with diabetes and poor metabolic control. The intervention was carried out by 4 health professionals from the center. An evaluation of knowledge before and after the training and an assessment of the analytical and anthropometric parameters 5 months after the training were carried out. An anonymous self-evaluation questionnaire was also completed by the participants.

After the intervention, a statistically significant reduction in weight, abdominal perimeter, glycosylated hemoglobin and diastolic blood pressure was obtained. The remaining parameters decreased non-significantly. The level of diabetes knowledge also improved significantly.

The group intervention had a high potency in relation to the introduction of short-term changes in the group of patients with poor metabolic control.