2023-2024 Grant in Aid of Research

Efficacy of follow-up care and education on Type 2 Diabetic patients in Kangema Sub-County Hospital, Murang’a County, Kenya.

Miriam Karengo

Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2) is one of the leading chronic metabolic illnesses whose prevalence is increasing swiftly in Kenya and globally whose cause for the rise in DMT2 patients is associated with lifestyle change, unhealthy diets consumption, and decrease in physical inactivity. The DMT2 patients need a follow-up throughout the disease process for the purpose of a positive outcome in their health.

Purpose: To study the efficacy of follow-up care and education on DMT2 patients in KSCH in Murang'a County, Kenya. The research study aims at demonstrating that HgA1c can be reduced using therapeutic diabetic diet (TDD), physical activities, as well as follow-up care. Methods: Participants will attend classes at site for one day a week for the first one month. They will then be followed -up by nutritionists with the assistance of the community health volunteers (CHV), either by home visits or phone calls for two additional months.

Results: The intervention will assist the patients with improvement in HA1c and overall blood sugar level control in addition to preventing or delaying the possibility of developing complications associated with DMT2 such as vision loss, kidney disease, and heart complications. The follow-up care and education intervention will contribute to an improvement in the overall quality of life of the target population with an increased likelihood of better overall health.

Conclusions: The findings from this research will play a critical role in informing the need to include follow-up care and patient education in routine care for DMT2 patients in Kenya and beyond.