EVALUATION OF A HEALTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION IN DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION

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  • July 24, 2019
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  • Weekley, Lindsay Dupell
    • Affiliation: School of Nursing
Abstract
  • The purpose of this 12-week quality improvement (QI) project was to increase patients’ knowledge of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through the incorporation of evidence-based health literacy principles in diabetes self-management education (DSME), ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. Self-management is a critical component of chronic disease care and health literacy is a key factor in the successful initiation and maintenance of these behaviors that are central to controlling T2DM. This QI project took place in an outpatient nutrition and diabetes education center. Participants included three diabetes educators and all adult patients who attended a series of three DSME group classes during the intervention period. The project began with an evaluation of the program’s current curriculum and educational materials for understandability and actionability. The diabetes educators revised the curriculum based on these results. The diabetes educators were trained in health-literacy education principles and to administer the following assessments. At the beginning of the first class, participants were given a health literacy assessment and a diabetes knowledge pre-test (DKT2). At the end of the final class the same DKT2 test was administered to test the knowledge gained from the DSME. Participant and staff satisfaction measures were also collected. Primary outcomes measured included health literacy and the difference in pre- and post-DKT2 scores. Additional outcomes included patient demographics, the changes made to the patient educational materials, patient and staff satisfaction, and frequency of implementation. Descriptive statistics were used for the demographic data and satisfaction measures. An independent t-test was used to analyze the relationship between health literacy and the change in pre- and post-DKT2 scores. A paired t-test was used to analyze the DKT2 scores. There was significant improvement in diabetes knowledge following completion of this program (t = 3.86, p < 0.001). Health literacy level did not affect the change in the pre- and post-DKT2 scores. Providing educational materials that are both understandable and actionable as well as incorporating educational strategies to reach those with lower health literacy levels can be an effective means to providing high-quality DSME to all patients with the goal of improving health outcomes related to diabetes.
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Advisor
  • Watson, Laura
  • Palmer, Carrie
  • Williams, Jessica
Degree
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
Graduation year
  • 2019

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