The Effects of Home‑based Nursing Care on Metabolic Control among Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) management is challenging,particularly for people in developing countries. Objective: This study aimedto examine the effects of a home‑based nursing care (HBNC) programon metabolic control among patients with type II DM. Methods: Thissingle‑blind randomized controlled trial was conducted in Hamadan, Iran,in 2014. Sixty patients with type II DM were consecutively recruited froma public diabetes care clinic in Hamadan, Iran, and randomly allocated toan experimental and a control group. Patients in the control group receivedusual discharge services, while their counterparts in the experimental groupreceived HBNC services in addition to usual discharge services. The levelsof fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, total cholesterol, triglycerides,high‑ and low‑density lipoprotein cholesterols, and systolic and diastolic bloodpressures were measured before and 3 months after the intervention. Dataanalysis was performed through the Chi‑square, the paired‑sample and theindependent‑sample t‑tests. Results: HBNC program significantly decreasedthe levels of fasting blood glucose (from 206.60 ± 84.93 to 141.40 ± 48.75;P 0.001), hemoglobin A1C (from 9.25 ± 2.19 to 7.55 ± 1.54; P 0.001), andtriglycerides (from 165.80 ± 78.96 to 126.63 ± 45.21; P 0.01). However, it hadno significant effects on total cholesterol, high‑ and low‑density lipoproteins,and systolic and diastolic blood pressures (P 0.05). Conclusion: HBNC isan effective strategy for managing type II DM and decreasing the risk of itscomplications.