Effectiveness of an Integrated Web-Based Self-Care Protocol on Mental Well-Being, Quality of Life, and Blood Sugar in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is currently the sixth cause of death and has no definitive cure. Therefore, it is essential to focus on patients’ awareness and education. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a specifically designed integrated web-based self-care protocol on health-related quality of life, mental well-being, and blood sugar in type 2 diabetic patients. Method: The present study followed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. Of patients with type 2 diabetes referred to the Diabetes Society of Tehran (Tehran, Iran), 64 were selected and randomly assigned to the two groups. The experimental group attended five one-hour treatment sessions on the Internet. Data were collected by administering the Self-Care Summary Questionnaire, Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life Scale, and Psychological Welfare Questionnaire before and after the treatment. Collected data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA). Results: The results showed a significant difference between the two groups in the level of blood sugar (F=4.35), well-being (F=14.24), quality of life (F=52.63), and self-care (F=68.54) at the significance level of 0.001. Conclusion: Considering the importance of self-care education and mobile (virtual) health, it is recommended that web-based self-care treatments are utilized for controlling diabetes