Effects of web-based education on HbA1c, quality of life and depression levels in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

INTRODUCTION: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) can create physical, psychological, and social problems, obliging the individual to adopt considerable changes in lifestyle. This study was conducted to determine the effect of diabetes education by using the web-based Watson’s human care model on HbA1c, levels of depression, and quality of life of T1DM adolescents.
METHODS: This study was conducted between January and December 2017. The research had an experimental design with pre- and post-test control groups. The participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The study was conducted with 30 adolescents between 11 and 18 years old. Adolescents in the experimental group were trained using the web-based Watson’s human care model, live video interviews were made in 14 sessions and these interviews were recorded.
RESULTS: It was observed that there was a significant decrease in levels of depression for adolescents of the experiment group before and after web-based education (p=0.000); a significant increase in quality of life (p=0.000) and a positive significant change in the levels of HbA1c (p=0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It is recommended that developed and extended Diabetes Education prepared based on web-based Watson’s human care theory.