Diabetes education through adult learning: Basic Education for Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus study

Patient education is acknowledged to be the cornerstone of effective self-management in people with chronic conditions such as diabetes. While the effects of patient education in terms of biophysical endpoints such as HbA _1c are well studied, its effects on quality of life (QOL) and other non-biophysical outcomes are less certain. In the BEND2 (Basic Education for Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) study, the effects of a structured patient education programme on QOL and diabetes self-management were evaluated using a number of validated questionnaires. Semi-structured interviews were also employed to provide qualitative data to add depth to the quantitative results.