Clinical Pharmacist-led Diabetes Management and Education Program Effect on the Arabic-speaking People in Australia: A Pilot Study

The aim of the study was to examine the feasibility of pharmacist-led diabetes educational programme on disease control and health-related quality of life in Arabic-speaking Type 2 diabetes patients in Australia. Participants’ HbA1c values improved over the three months period, decreasing from 8.86% to 8.34%, weight decreased from 84.78 kg to 83.88 kg and diastolic blood pressure decreased from 75.40 mm Hg to 72.40 mm Hg. Mean waist circumference of the participants improved from average mean 107.40 cm to 105.88 cm. Goals included the following: quitting or reducing the number of cigarettes per day, choosing healthy food, exercise, reducing weight, and monitoring glucose levels. At the end of the three months period, participants demonstrated clear achievements of goals set. For a feasibility study, the information gathered was valuable for developing future studies in this area. Results from this study indicate that a pharmacist-led diabetes education addressing the spiritual, cultural, lifestyle and educational needs of Arabic speaking people with diabetes when successfully implemented has the potential to improve health related outcomes. In summary, participants in this research did have clear improvements in clinical measures following the intervention.