Reduced HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes patients: An interaction between a pedagogical format for students and psycho-educational intervention for patients.

In this prospective study we compared Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in T2DM (Type 2 diabetes) patients who received psycho-educational intervention vs. usual care. Intervention was provided by pharmaceutics students, and accompanied by an academic course. We further examined the effect of the pedagogical format by which students were taught on HbA1c levels of the patients. The format of the academic course varied: the simultaneous format included theoretical, clinical, and practical themes taught within each lesson; whereas in the non-simultaneous format, theoretical themes were taught during the first several lessons, followed by practical skills taught in the following ones. T2DM patients (n = 171) were recruited through 10 primary care clinics. The inclusion criterion was patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c > 7%). Patients were randomly allocated to a training or control group. Pharmaceutics students (n = 85) in their fourth year participated in an academic course and were randomly allocated to a simultaneous vs. non-simultaneous pedagogical format. The interaction effect between intervention type and pedagogical format was significant. Only patients who participated in the training group consisting of students who participated in the simultaneous course format showed improvement on their HbA1c levels. Implications on patients' outcome and suggestions for future studies are discussed.