Peer education helpful for diabetes patients in distress

(HealthDay)—Peer education improves mental status in type 2 diabetes patients who have emotional disorders, according to research published online Nov. 16 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.

Yan Liu, of the General Hospital of Dagang Oilfield in Tianjin, China, and colleagues randomly assigned 127 diabetes patients with emotional disorders to either peer education or usual education. Both groups received usual diabetes education. At six months, metabolic index and psychological status were assessed.

The researchers found significant improvements in anxiety, depression, diabetes knowledge, distress, self-management, and quality of life among diabetes patients receiving peer education and usual diabetes education compared with those receiving usual education only. No significant difference between the groups was observed for metabolic index.

"Peer education support is the preferred model for delivering care for diabetes patients with emotional disorders to improve their mental status," the authors write.