Effectiveness of Health Education in Patients With Diabetic Neuropathy: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of health education interventions related to self-care in patients at risk of developing complications associated with peripheral diabetic neuropathy.

DATA SOURCES: A quantitative systematic literature review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The guiding question was, "Is health education effective for self-care in patients at risk for peripheral neuropathy?" The databases used included MEDLINE (via Ovid), BVS, CINAHL, PubMed (PMC), Cochrane Library, EMBASE, OasisBR, SCIELO, and Google Scholar as of May 22, 2023. Studies were identified using Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) from the Virtual Health Library (BVS in Portuguese), and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from the National Library of Medicine, United States (US NLM).

STUDY SELECTION: The search results were imported into the reference manager, Rayyan, and then duplicate documents were removed. Studies that met the selection criteria based on abstract reading proceeded to the second stage, which included full-text article analysis.

DATA EXTRACTION: Data on health education and care of patients with diabetic neuropathy were extracted from the studies.

DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 426 articles were identified after completion of the searches. After selection, 3 articles were included in the review. Two had a low risk of bias and 1 had a high risk of bias. Health education was found to be effective in controlling various signs and symptoms associated with diabetic neuropathy.

CONCLUSIONS

Key findings in the literature support the effectiveness of health education in managing the signs, symptoms, and complications of diabetic neuropathy.