IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAM TO IMPROVE DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT IN HISPANIC PATIENTS

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global, costly, and increasing illness. Type 2 diabetes (DM2) can be managed with lifestyle changes, such as better diet choices. In the United States, Hispanic individuals are at high risk for DM2 and have the third highest prevalence of DM2 among all ethnicities. Polk County, Florida, has a statistically higher prevalence of DM2 residents than other Florida counties. Almost one-quarter of the population are Hispanic, and many live below the poverty line, are uninsured, and are illegal immigrants. At Parkview Medical Clinic, a free clinic in Polk County, 80% of the patients have DM2. The goal of this project was to help these patients improve their dietary habits and blood glucose levels with the NDEP Program, 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life. The theoretical framework was Orem’s self-care theory, and the Plan-Do-Check-Act change model was used. After training by the project director, 10 volunteer nurse practitioners (NPs) individually instructed 37 patients weekly for 20 to 30 minutes over 9 weeks. In Weeks 1 and 9, the NPs administered the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) and measured patients’ blood glucose levels. The results were charted, and data were analyzed with paired samples t tests. Results indicated that patients improved significantly in their diet choices and blood glucose levels (p < .001) from pretest (37 participants) to posttest (19 participants). Follow-ups at 3- and 6 months were recommended, and implications for nursing included greater use of the NDEP Program and ongoing patient education on self-management of diabetes.