FAMILY MODELS OF DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: THE CURRENT EVIDENCE AND CRITICAL GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE

• Main Authors: Pearl A. McElfish, Jennifer Post, Brett Rowland, Christopher R. Long
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Medical Journal 2019-11-01
• Series: European Medical Journal Diabetes
• Subjects: diabetes; self-management education; cost-effectiveness; cultural tailoring
• Online Access: https://www.emjreviews.com/diabetes/article/family-models-of-diabetes-self-management-education-the-current-evidence-and-critical-gaps-in-knowledge/
• ISSN: 2054-6181

This commentary outlines the effectiveness of family-centred models of diabetes self-management education (Family-DSME) interventions and identifies five considerable gaps in the available literature that are keeping Family-DSME interventions from being translated into clinical practice. These include: (a) confounding effects of including cultural tailoring in many Family-DSME studies; (b) variations in duration and dosage of Family-DSME interventions; (c) most studies failing to assess the effects of Family-DSME on the included family members; (d) lack of cost-effectiveness data; and (e) lack of implementation research on Family-DSME interventions. It is crucial that clinical researchers focus efforts on filling the gaps in knowledge that constrain Family-DSME from being translated into clinical practice.