Objective To evaluate the effects of home visiting based on empowerment theory on empowerment, self-management behaviors and the glycemic control in community-dwelling elderly diabetic patients, in order to provide a new theoretical and implementation method for home visiting in community-dwelling elderly diabetic patients.
Methods The elderly patients with diabetes that meet the criteria for inclusion were randomly recruited from two community health service stations in Yinchuan city and were divided into control group (
n=67) and intervention group (
n=67) according to their geographic setting.The control group got routine home visiting, while the patients in the intervention group received a sixmonth home visiting based on empowerment theory.The patients were investigated with China Mainland-Diabetes Empowerment Scale (CM-DES) and Diabetes Self-care Scale (DSCS) and the fasting plasma glucose were measured before intervention and six months after intervention.
Results There were no significant difference in the scores of empowerment and self-management behaviors between the two groups before intervention (
P > 0.05).While after intervention, the scores of empowerment, self-management behaviors as well as their dimensions in the intervention group were all significantly higher than those in the control group (
P < 0.05).From the five months of the intervention to the end of intervention, the glycemic control in the intervention group were significantly better than that in the control group (
P < 0.05).
Conclusion Home visiting based on empowerment theory as an effective management and follow-up method for diabetes in community can not only enhance the empowerment, but also improve self-management behaviors and glycemic control of the elderly diabetic patients.
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