Assessment of a National Diabetes Education Program diabetes management booklet: The GRADE experience.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The National Diabetes Education Program created the 4 Steps to Manage Your Diabetes for Life (4 Steps) booklet to help patients with diabetes learn the basics of self-management and care recommendations. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of 4 Steps on participants' diabetes management knowledge and self-efficacy in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: A Comparative Effectiveness Study (GRADE).

METHODS: A sample of 348 adults with type 2 diabetes enrolled in GRADE was included in this analysis. Participants took a pretest, were sent home with 4 Steps, then took a posttest at their next visit. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to detect differences in knowledge and self-efficacy between scale scores pre- and posttest.

CONCLUSIONS: Analyses revealed increases in participants' diabetes management knowledge (p < .001) and self-efficacy (p < .001) from pre- to posttest. Participants who reported no formal previous diabetes education showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge scores compared to those with previous diabetes education (p < .05).

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Appropriate, relevant diabetes education materials may improve self-management knowledge and self-efficacy among adults with type 2 diabetes. Providers should feel confident using 4 Steps as a resource for clinical practice.