Long-term effects of a structured intensive diabetes education programme (SIDEP) in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus-a 4-year follow-up study

Aims Patient education is a very important part of diabetes care. However, until now, little data has been presented about the long‐term effectiveness of structured intensive diabetes education programmes (SIDEP) for people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods People with Type 2 diabetes (n = 547) hospitalized from December 1999 to December 2000 were randomly assigned to two groups. Two hundred and nineteen patients undertook an inpatient SIDEP and the remaining patients received conventional glycaemic control without intensive education. After discharge, all patients were monitored regularly. Laboratory data were obtained, and adherence to self‐care behaviour was determined on a five‐point scale by questionnaires completed annually. Results Of the patients who completed the SIDEP, 160 (73.1%) were followed up for more than 4 years. The mean HbA1c (7.9 ± 1.2 vs. 8.7 ± 1.6%; P