Comparison of family partnership intervention care vs. conventional care in adult patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in a community hospital: A randomized controlled trial

Background: Although there is a significant correlation between the degree of family support and clinical outcome, little research has focused on the effectiveness of family partnership intervention care (FPIC) for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Objectives: This study aimed to compare FPIC with conventional care (CC) across a number of outcome measures in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. Design: The study was performed using a randomized controlled trial design. Participants: Patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes who were solely treated with oral antidiabetic agents and had at least two out of three hemoglobin A1C readings equal to or above 7% in the previous 12 months, were randomly assigned to the FPIC group (n=28) and to the CC group (n=28). Methods: Baseline and 6-month follow-up scores were compared using the following outcome measures: (1) hemoglobin A1C, (2) BMI, (3) lipid profile, (4) family supportive behaviours, (5), knowledge of and attitudes toward diabetes, and (6) diabetes self-care behaviours. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics were employed to compare differences in outcome measures between the groups. Results: There were no significant differences in the reduction of hemoglobin A1C levels (p=0.46), lipid profile values (p>0.05), and improvement of diabetes self-care behaviours (p=0.61) between the groups at 6 months post-intervention. However, there were significant differences in the scores of family supportive behaviours (p=0.031) and patients' knowledge of and attitudes toward diabetes between the groups (p