Empowering Diabetes Care Through Pharmacist-Led Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial in a Low-Resource Setting

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist-led diabetes self-management education (DSME) intervention on clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and diabetes knowledge among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

A parallel-group, randomized-controlled trial was conducted involving 400 patients with T2DM assigned to either an intervention group (IG) receiving structured DSME over 12 months or to a control group (CG) receiving standard care. Primary outcomes included changes in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and diabetes knowledge, assessed using the Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test. Secondary outcomes included lipid profiles, blood pressure, diabetes self-management behaviors, and HRQoL. Data analysis involved the analysis of covariance and the repeated measures analysis of variance, with subgroup stratified by baseline clinical risk profiles.

Participants in the IG exhibited significant reductions in HbA1c levels (from 9.12% to 8.02%) compared with those in the CG (from 9.27% to 9.01%; P < .001, η² = 0.13) and increased diabetes knowledge scores (from 11.10 to 14.88; P < .001). Significant group × time interaction effects were observed for HbA1c and random blood glucose. Subgroup analysis revealed notable improvements in total cholesterol (P = .03), triglycerides (P = .04), low-density lipoprotein (P = .03), and systolic blood pressure (P = .05) among participants with elevated baseline levels. The IG also showed significant gains in self-management behaviors (P < .001) and HRQoL scores (P < .001).

The pharmacist-led DSME program was effective in enhancing glycemic control, diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors, and HRQoL in patients with T2DM. Findings from subgroup analyses underscore the potential of tailored pharmacist-led interventions to optimize outcomes in high-risk populations.