Empowering Health Care Providers and Self-management Education in Diabetes? A Scoping Review

Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2021 Jul 19;19(3):e111765. doi: 10.5812/ijem.111765. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Context: There has been an increasing emphasis on the role of education in diabetes prevention and management, and shedding light on evidence gaps is mandatory for national action plans establishment.

Data sources: This scoping review was part of the Iranian Diabetes Road Map project that used a systematic method based on the Arksey and O'Malley approach.

Results: After the screening, 173 articles were included, most of which were published in 2018 and focused on self-management. Most included articles were considered patient-related self-management/care/efficacy, while only a limited number of articles studied healthcare provider education and educational establishment. Additionally, a significant number of included studies were addressed virtual education, an issue as the strength of Iranian studies in diabetes education.

Conclusions: Education is an important part of diabetes, and specific needs for Iranian patients should be addressed in future studies. Paying attention to new topics and conducting high-quality interventional studies will help fill evidence gaps in this field in Iran.

Keywords: Diabetes; Education; Evidence Gap; Health Care Professionals; Iran; Patient.