Appraisal the structure of diabetes self-management education and support in diabetes education units of Isfahan, Iran.

Background: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) is an approach to improve preventive practices and behaviors with a focus on decision-making, problem-solving, and self-care. The present study was designed to appraisal structural standards of Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) in Isfahan province.

Materials and methods: The sample size included 170 files of patients with diabetes in 31 diabetes education units. The data collection tools were a checklist with 62 items and a questionnaire. Data was collected via observation and interview. In each diabetes education unit, theresearcherfirst observed the physical space and equipment of the classroom and completed the relevant items in the checklist. Then participated in one individual and one group education session and completed the checklist withthe relevant items. At the end of the session, the researcher completed the questionnaire by interviewing the educator. The collected data were described using SPSS version 21 software.

Results: Regarding the characteristics of educators. All of them had started working as an educator without completing the diabetes education courseandabout a third of them had less than one year of work experience (29%) in diabetes units. Regarding physical space, about 90% of the education units had proper lighting, cooling and heating devices, and less than half (48.4%) had proper ventilation. In 3.2% of diabetes units, educators had access to the Internet. In none of the diabetes education units(%0), there was an up-to-date and evidence-based documented curriculum.

Conclusion: The results of the present study showed serious challenges in the field of the structure of DSMES in the diabetes education units of Isfahan province. Considering the necessity and critical importance of diabetes education, policymakers in the field of diabetes management can benefit fromthese results for planning to help improve this situation.