Impact Of Patient Counseling And Education Of Diabetic Patients In Improving Their Quality Of

Objectives: The current study which is randomized comparative intervention (concurrent control) attempts to study the effect of counseling and education provided by clinical pharmacist regarding the disease and related issues to achieve glycemic control and ultimately better quality of life of Diabetic patients; which was carried out for a period of 6 months in the out-patient medicine department of St.Martha's Hospital, Bangalore.

Materials and Method: A total of 98 (53 intervention, 45 control) patients were randomized into intervention and control group by chit method. Intervention group received counseling and education along with the information leaflet; follow up was done at intervals of 2nd, 4th & 6th month after baseline. Pm-validated questionnaires for KAP & QoL were administered at the baseline and last follow up. In a group of 25 patients HbA1c was recorded at baseline & last follow-up. All the parameters (FBS, PPBS, HbA1c) and scores were compared between intervention & control group post counseling. Significant improvement (P<0.05) was observed in the intervention group in terms of glycemic control and HbAlc values in comparison with the control group.

Results: In the intervention group; Knowledge about the disease improved (P<0.05) along with better compliance to diet, however change in attitude towards need for exercise and regular checkups could not be achieved but significant improvement (p<0.05) in Quality of Life (QoL) was achieved with education and counseling.

Conclusion: The findings revealed that the clinical pharmacist can contribute to the better management of diabetes through patient education and counseling.