Date of Award

5-1-2008

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Nursing

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes could potentially affect 61 million Americans in the next 10 years according to the Centers for Disease Control. Diabetes education is considered a cornerstone of diabetes management. Rural clinics face challenges of providing education to individuals with diabetes. This quasi-experimental research study examines 40 individuals with diabetes in a rural health care clinic to evaluate the effectiveness of a free diabetic education intervention. The intervention group (n=20), which recieved diabetes education by an RN demonstrate a decline in A1c values that reached statistical significance. Diabetes empowerment scores were also compared between the intervention and control group, with the scores being higher in the intervention group, but not reaching statistical significance. Recommendations for further education interventions are provided for rural primary practice.

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