Group Education Better than Individual Counseling

A new study examining individual counseling for self-care in patients with diabetes vs group education has found that the latter is associated with better outcomes. The research was carried out with more than 75,000 patients. Compared with those attending individual counseling, patients who went to group classes were less likely to visit the emergency room, be hospitalized for hypo- or hyperglycemia, or develop foot ulcers/cellulitis. Group-therapy recipients were also more likely to have adequate HbA1c and lipid testing and to receive statins than those getting one-on-one care. Can J Public Health. 2014;105: e192-e197.