Diabetes education plays a critical role in diabetes management and helps patients achieve good glycemic control. This paper provides an overview of the study, “patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives towards technology-assisted diabetes self-management education” (Jain et al., 2020). The study analyzes empirical evidence on patient and healthcare professional (HCP) perspectives on technology-assisted diabetes self-management education (DSME).
Explanation of Strengths of the Study
One of the strengths of the study is the validity of the study. The study methods used in the research article are applied appropriately to support the review findings and evidence claims of the review. The studies used have a narrow variation of findings, which improves the strength of the evidence claims on the use of technology for diabetes education. Further, the research design is clearly identified with data gathering instrument been clearly described. The study also identifies the limitations involved, thus improving its credibility (Jain et al., 2020).
Explanation of Weaknesses of the Study
The weaknesses of this study include a limited sample size and few variations in patient characteristics. Out of the electronic search of 4,233 abstracts and 259 articles available for the study, only 15 met the inclusion criteria. This indicates a small sample size, which presents generalization problems for the study. Another weakness involves poor reliability of the research article since most of the studies used in the paper dwell on pilot technologies that are not yet the standard of care.
Proposed Changes to Improve Quality
To improve reliability of the study, the researchers could have used more studies which have applied technology for educating patients with diabetes. It would also have been important to get opinion from people who play a critical role in the education and care of diabetic persons, for example, family members, the patients’ caregivers, hospital administrators, and community health workers and their families to improve the credibility of the study (Jain et al., 2020). The study could have benefitted from a wider sample size to improve its generalization.
Summary of the Implications
The research findings of the study could be used in nursing practice to evaluate the acceptability of the use of technology in diabetes education. Utilization of technology will provide crucial information on user perceptions, healthcare costs to diabetes patients and patients’ psychological outcomes. The study also provides an avenue for researchers to seek the opinion of caregivers involved in the care of patients with diabetes to offer a personalized account of the best ways to improve diabetes education in nursing.
References
Jain, S. R., Sui, Y., Ng, C. H., Chen, Z. X., Goh, L. H., & Shorey, S. (2020). Patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives towards technology-assisted diabetes self-management education. A qualitative systematic review. PLOS One, 15(8), e0237647. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237647
Leave a Reply