The comparison of self-management group education and the standard care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis

To investigate the efficacy of self-management group education versus the standard care for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). An electronic search was performed in nine databases including PubMed for selecting eligible studies. Meta-analysis was used for pooling of the results. Of 3446 records screened, we included ten studies for this systematic review and meta-analysis. Regarding assessment of effectiveness, there was a significant superiority reported in the intervention group when compared to the usual/standard care (standardized mean difference [95% confidence interval] = 0.24 [0.15; 0.32]). The intervention group had a significant reduction in the levels of hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), fasting blood glucose, low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and body mass index compared to the usual/standard care (p < 0.05). Moreover, no significant difference was observed in the levels of high-density lipoprotein, systolic blood pressure (SBP), or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between the two groups (p > 0.05). Self-management group education interventions are recommended in patients with type 2 DM for their effectiveness in different clinical aspects.