Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy through a Multidisciplinary Team Education Program in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Quasi-Experimental Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60099/prijnr.2026.275382Keywords:
Diabetic retinopathy, Glycemic control, Multidisciplinary team education, Type 2 diabetesAbstract
Diabetic retinopathy is preventable with glycemic control through appropriate health behaviors that are influenced by health beliefs. A multidisciplinary team led by nurses can address health beliefs, but the impact of preventing diabetic retinopathy is unexplored. This two-group quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest study investigated the effects of a Multidisciplinary Team Approach on health beliefs, diabetic retinopathy prevention behavior, and hemoglobin A1C. The participants comprised 62 adults with type 2 diabetes who had hemoglobin A1C over 7% selected from a general hospital in Thailand’s western province using simple random sampling. They were assigned to the experimental group (n = 31), who engaged in the 12-week Multidisciplinary Team Approach along with usual care, and the control group (n = 31), who obtained only usual care. Data were collected between May 2023 and February 2024 using the Health Belief Questionnaire, the Diabetic Retinopathy Prevention Behavior Questionnaire, and the Hemoglobin A1C test. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and independent t-test.
Following the program, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores of health beliefs and diabetic retinopathy prevention behavior, and lower hemoglobin A1C compared to the control group and before the program. Nurses should be trained to implement this program to raise health beliefs of diabetic retinopathy and motivate behavior change for glycemic control. However, a further multisite randomized controlled study is needed before it can be implemented in practice.
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