Background:

Structured educative programs have demonstrated their usefulness as a strategy to improve metabolic control in diabetic patients.

Aim:

To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured educative program for Chilean diabetic patients.

Material and Methods:

A randomized clinical trial in diabetic patients with glycosylated hemoglobin over 7.5%. One hundred fifteen patients were studied, 59 patients participated in the structured educative program (experimental group) and 56 patients received no structured education (control group). Patients were followed for 12 months.

Results:

Between baseline and 12 months of follow-up, glycosylated hemoglobin changed from 10.05 to 9.11% in experimental patients and from 9.86 to 9.25% in controls. No significant differences between experimental and control groups in other clinical and metabolic parameters were observed. In the experimental group, glycosylated hemoglobin reductions differed among the different educators who carried out the program.

Conclusions:

A structured educative program resulted in a 35% greater reduction in glycosylated hemoglobin levels, compared with a control group. Metabolic control improvement differed between the educators who carried out the program.