Dissemination of evidence-base minimal psychological intervention for diabetes management in Taiwan adults with type 2 diabetes

This study evaluated the impact of minimal psychological intervention (MPI) on improving psychological well-being and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan. A randomized controlled trial was conducted, comparing the MPI with usual care in 182 primary care type 2 diabetes patients 50 and older in Taiwan. Nurses called patients at home over a period of 6 weeks. Questionnaire data were obtained from 174 participants at baseline, immediately post intervention, and 1-month after intervention. Hemoglobin A1c levels (HbA1c) from baseline to eight months after the interventions were assessed from medical charts. The telephone-delivered MPI significantly reduced patients’ diabetes-specific distress (β_MPI*time= -3.24, P = 0.03), but not depressive symptoms, in those who have more than one complications. We also observed there is a trend suggesting those who diagnosed with diabetes within the last 10 years had greater reduction in diabetes-specific distress (β_MPI*time= -1.58, P = 0.05). In patients whose baseline HbA1c were less than 8%, an improvement on the blood glucose level was observed 3 months after the intervention (β_{MPI*period 3}= -0.18, P = 0.02). A telephone-delivered MPI might be a feasible and effective method for decreasing diabetes-specific distress and achieving better glycemic control in non-Western populations, especially in those who were at the early stage of diagnosis but had poor glycemic control.