The role of education in type 2 diabetes treatment

Abstract Diabetes mellitus is a major and growing medical problem, affecting patients of all ages worldwide. Diabetes education is an important component of diabetes treatment. The goals of diabetes education include not only providing knowledge and skills, but also changing the patient’s behavior, increasing their motivation to comply with therapeutic recommendations, improving their quality of life, establishing a partnership within the treatment process, preparing the patient for self-care, increasing their awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, and increasing their psychological resilience. The education process is affected by a number of factors, primarily the patient’s psychological and socio-economic characteristics, as well as educator-related variables. Benefits of diabetes education are mainly observed in terms of patient self-care and metabolic control of diabetes.