Approximately 23.6 million people in the United States are living with diabetes, a disease that is a leading cause of disabling conditions including blindness, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease, and stroke. Although these complications of diabetes can be delayed or prevented through intensive diabetes self-management (DSM), maintaining control of the disease can be burdensome and negatively impact quality of life. Occupational therapy has a largely untapped potential to assist individuals who struggle with managing diabetes in the context of everyday life, yet there is little discussion of DSM in the occupational therapy literature. The author conducts a systematic review of the existing occupational therapy literature on diabetes, examines the current state of DSM interventions, and discusses a potential role for occupational therapy using programs such as Lifestyle Redesign®.
American Diabetes Association. (2009). Standards of medical care in diabetes: 2009. Diabetes Care, 32(suppl. 1), S13–S61.
2.
AndrewM. A. (1987). The occupational therapist's role in the management of diabetes. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 54, 11–15.
3.
ButinD. N., & MontgomeryA. L. (1997). Health promotion programs for older adults: The Oxford Health Plans model for innovative programming. Gerontology Special Interest Section Quarterly, 20(3), 1–4.
4.
CarlsonM.ClarkF., & YoungB. (1998). Practical contributions of occupational science to the art of successful aging: How to sculpt a meaningful life in older adulthood. Journal of Occupational Science, 5, 107–118.
5.
CateY.BakerS. S., & GilbertM. P. (1995). Occupational therapy and the person with diabetes and vision impairment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49, 905–911.
6.
ClarkF.AzenS. P.ZemkeR.JacksonJ.CarlsonM.MandelD. (1997). Occupational therapy for independent-living older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 1321–1326.
7.
ClarkF.AzenS. P.CarlsonM.MandelD.LaBreeL.HayJ. (2001). Embedding health-promoting changes into the daily lives of independent-living older adults: Long-term follow-up of occupational therapy intervention. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56, 60–63.
8.
CurtinC. (1991). Psychosocial intervention with an adolescent with diabetes using the Model of Human Occupation. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 11(2/3), 23–36.
9.
DayJ. L. (2000). Diabetic patient education: Determinants of success. Diabetes-Metabolism Research and Reviews, 76(suppl. 1), S70–S74.
10.
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Research Group. (1993). The effect of intensive treatment of diabetes on the development and progression of long-term complications in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. New England Journal of Medicine, 329, 977–986.
11.
Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications Study Research Group. (2005). Intensive diabetes treatment and cardiovascular disease in patients with type 1 diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine, 353, 2643–2653.
12.
FuteranR. (2001). The role of occupational therapy in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Israel Journal of Occupational Therapy, 10, E27–E33.
13.
GaryT. L.GenkingerJ. M.GuallarE.PeyrotM., & BrancatiF. L. (2003). Meta-analysis of randomized educational and behavioral interventions in type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Educator, 29, 488–501.
14.
GellerJ.CassensS.BroszM.KeilU.BernardingJ.KropfS. (2007). Achievement of guideline-defined treatment goals in primary care: The German Coronary Risk Management (CoRiMa) study. European Heart Journal, 28, 3051–3058.
15.
GitlinL. N.WinterL.DennisM. P.CorcoranM.SchinfeldS., & HauckW. W. (2006). A randomized trial of a multicomponent home intervention to reduce functional difficulties in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54, 809–816.
16.
HayJ.LaBreeL.LuoR.ClarkF.CarlsonM.MandelD. (2002). Cost-effectiveness of preventive occupational therapy for independent-living older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50, 1381–1388.
17.
HuangE. S.BrownS. E.EwigmanB. G.FoleyE. C., & MeltzerD. O. (2007). Patient perceptions of quality of life with diabetes-related complications and treatments. Diabetes Care, 30, 2478–2483.
18.
HwangJ. I.TruaxC.ClaireM., & CaytapA. L. (2009). Occupational therapy in diabetic care: Areas of need perceived by older adults with diabetes. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 23, 173–188.
19.
LorigK. R., & HolmanH. (2003). Self-management education: History, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26, 1–7.
LorigK.RitterP. L.VillaF., & PietteJ. D. (2008). Spanish diabetes self-management with and without automated telephone reinforcement: Two randomized trials. Diabetes Care, 31, 408–414.
22.
MandelD. R.JacksonJ. M.ZemkeR.NelsonL., & ClarkF. A. (1999). Lifestyle Redesign: Implementing the Well Elderly Program. Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association.
23.
NarayanK. M.BoyleJ. P.GeissL. S.SaaddineJ. B., & ThompsonT. J. (2006). Impact of recent increase in incidence on future diabetes burden: U. S., 2005–2050. Diabetes Care, 29, 2114–2116.
NorrisS. L.EngelgauM. M., & NarayanK. M. (2001). Effectiveness of self-management training in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Diabetes Care, 24, 561–587.
26.
NorrisS. L.LauJ.SmithS. J.SchmidC. H., & EngelgauM. M. (2002). Self-management education for adults with type 2 diabetes: A meta-analysis of the effect on glycemic control. Diabetes Care, 25, 1159–1171.
27.
ProchaskaJ. O., & ProchaskaJ. M. (1999). Why don't continents move? Why don't people change?Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 9, 83–102.
28.
PutzerG. J.RamirezA. M.SneedK.BrownleeH. J.RoetzheimR. G., & CampbellR. J. (2004). Prevalence of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus reaching the American Diabetes Association's target guidelines in a university primary care setting. Southern Medical Journal, 97, 145–148.
29.
PyatakE. (2010). Participation in occupation and diabetes management in emerging adulthood. Manuscript submitted for publication.
30.
PyöräläK.PedersenT. R.KjekshusJ.FaergemanO.OlssonA. G.ThorgeirssonG., & Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) Group. (1997). Cholesterol lowering with simvastatin improves prognosis of diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. Diabetes Care, 20, 614–620.
31.
RijkenP. M., & DekkerJ. (1998). Clinical experience of rehabilitation therapists with chronic diseases: A quantitative approach. Clinical Rehabilitation, 12, 143–150.
32.
RileyM. A. (1998). The effects of medical conditions and aging on hand function. OT Practice, 3, 24–27.
33.
RostronJ. (1982). Housing and related services for the diabetic patient: A case study. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 45, 268–269.
34.
RynneA., & McKennaK. (1999). Evaluation of an outpatient diabetes education programme. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 459–465.
35.
Samuel-HodgeC. D.Hill-BriggsF., & GaryT. L. (2006). Lifestyle intervention for prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Nursing Clinics of North America, 41, 567–588.
36.
ScottA. H.ButinD. N.TewfikD.BurkhardtA.MandelD., & NelsonL. (2001). Occupational therapy as a means to wellness with the elderly. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 18(4), 3–22.
37.
SmithC. A. (1987). Sensory stimulation and ADL performance: A single case study approach. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 6(1), 43–57.
38.
SomaiP., & VogelgesangS. (2006). Limited joint mobility in diabetes mellitus: The clinical complications. Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine, 23, 484–486, 488–90, 493–494.
39.
UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. (1998a). Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes: UKPDS 33. Lancet, 352, 837–853.
40.
UK Prospective Diabetes Study Group. (1998b). Tight blood pressure control and risk of macrovascular and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes: UKPDS 38. British Medical Journal, 317, 703–713.
41.
VermiereE.WensJ.Van RoyenP.BiotY.HearnshawH., & LindenmeyerA. (2005). Interventions for improving adherence to treatment recommendations in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, article CD003638. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from The Cochran Library Database.
42.
VijanS.HaywardR. A.RonisD. L., & HoferT. P. (2005). The burden of diabetes therapy: Implications for the design of effective patient-centered treatment regimens. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 20, 479–482.
43.
WelchB. J. (1983). Diabetes: What role for occupational therapy?Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 30, 149–156.
44.
WhittemoreR. (2006). Behavioral interventions for diabetes self-management. Nursing Clinics of North America, 41, 641–654.
