Impact of educational interventions in reducing diabetic complications: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To identify in the literature evidence of the effectiveness and efficacy of educational interventions in reducing metabolic and/or vascular complications in adults with diabetes mellitus. METHOD A systematic review performed in LILACS, IBECS, CUMED, CINAHL and Medline databases and in the online library SciELO with studies published from 2004 to 2014. RESULTS Eleven studies were included (5 randomized clinical trials and 6 quasi-experimental). We only identified studies that analyzed vascular complications. CONCLUSION Two clinical trials demonstrated efficacy in reducing cardiovascular complications, of cataract or retinopathy and nephropathy and all the quasi-experimental studies showed effectiveness in reducing feet ulcers, peripheral neuropathy and vasculopathy, and maintenance of kidney function.