Diabetes programme does not influence HbA1c levels

According to new reports, an NHS-funded diabetes education and self-management programme has received the thumbs up from specialists, despite clear indications that the programme fails to impact on HbA1c levels amongst newly diagnosed diabetics .
The programmen, known as DESMOND, lays out clear personal goals for diabetics to take in managing their condition. The Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed was evaluated for the British Medical Journal, who found that no clear differences in HbA1c were reported.
However, patients that took the trial were lost 38 per cent more weight and were 69 per cent more likely to have stopped smoking . The national director of DESMOND, Dr. Marian Carey, reportedly commented:
“There are different benefits associated with each type of care . But in this population it would be very difficult to show significant reductions in HbA1c. We need to consider what is important to patients and we must not say just because its not blood glucose levels it’s not important, because it is.”