Interventions for health education of adults undergoing insulin therapy: A scoping review

Abstract

Objective: To map in the literature the interventions for health education of adults undergoing insulin therapy.  Methods: Scoping review developed according to JBI recommendations and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Primary studies and grey literature were included, without temporal or linguistic restrictions. Searches were conducted in eight information sources, with strategies adapted to each one. The selection and extraction of studies were performed by independent and blind reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Descriptive statistics were used for the analysis. Results: A total of 16 studies were included. Interventions for health education of adults undergoing insulin therapy were delivered through structured methods, such as interviews, flip charts, games, videos, and educational programs. These interventions were developed for patients receiving follow-up care in primary health care units and during hospital stays. The identified interventions focused on cognitive skills related to insulin administration and attitudes toward self-care. Conclusions: The identified educational interventions proved to be effective as teaching and learning tools for developing knowledge and skills among patients undergoing insulin therapy. Further studies, with the aim of developing, validating and clinically evaluating other educational interventions, particularly those that explore new types of educational technologies, are needed.