Aim

To describe how persons with diabetes experience learning about self-care, with a particular focus on foot self-care.

Methods

Narrative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with persons diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Participants were recruited through an advertisement in a diabetes association magazine and through convenience and snowball sampling. Eleven participants aged 53–87 were interviewed between December 2024 and April 2025. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach.

Results

Learning about foot self-care emerged as a gradual, lived process shaped by bodily experiences, social relationships and access to support. Three themes were identified: the social landscape of self-care, the being of the feet and taking knowledge into your own hands. Learning was influenced by encounters with healthcare professionals, informal support from relatives and personal experiences over time. Bodily symptoms acted as driving forces for learning and self-care actions. Understanding why self-care mattered was essential for motivation, while seeking and evaluating knowledge became a strategy for control and participation in care

Conclusion

Learning about foot self-care among persons with diabetes is an embodied, relational and ongoing process. That develops through interaction among lived bodily experiences, social support and personal responsibility rather than through information alone.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareHealthcare professionals must integrate persons' experience-based knowledge and support dialogue, reflection and shared learning to strengthen foot self-care practices.ImpactThe study addressed the limited understanding of how persons with diabetes learn foot self-care. The results showed that learning is shaped by lived experience, relationships and meaning-making. The findings are relevant for persons with diabetes and healthcare professionals involved in diabetes care.

Background Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a serious complication of diabetes, with a lifetime risk of up to 34%. Despite preventive guidelines, gaps remain in the care chain. This study aimed to identify and prioritise improvements in DFU prevention, care, and self-care in the Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.

Methods A participatory action research design was used as part of a larger observational co-design study. Patients with diabetes, healthcare professionals, and researchers participated. Data were collected through Concept Mapping to generate and cluster ideas, followed by a workshop to prioritise improvements. The improvements were assessed regarding feasibility and importance ranging from 0 to 7, with exceptions that some participants scored ideas > 7.

Results Thirty-one participants contributed and based on 83 ideas five clusters were generated: (1) Examination of the feet by healthcare professionals, (2) Exchange of knowledge/Exchange of experiences, (3) Access to podiatry, (4) Economy/Equal care, and (5) Other/Support for self-care. In a workshop with 22 participants, the three prioritised ideas were: (1) Having access to podiatry if problems occur, (2) Getting help when problems arise, and (3) Information from the healthcare about the importance of good foot healthcare. These ideas got 80% or more of all votes within each of the five clusters and were scored > 5 for feasibility and of > 7 for importance. Other prioritised ideas involved enhancing individual self-care capabilities and maintaining personalised interactions despite digitalisation.

Conclusions Timely access to podiatry, increased foot health awareness among healthcare professionals, and rapid intervention when problems arise were identified as key priorities for improving DFU care and patient outcomes.

Purpose: Type 2 diabetes affects everyday life, requiring patients to learn to live with the illness. Although group-based education can improve clinical outcomes and support self-care, it remains underutilised in Sweden. Only about a fifth of healthcare centres offer group-based education, and many patients opt out of participation. Understanding the various reasons patients opt out is crucial for designing group-based education that meets individual needs and promotes long-term disease management. This study aims to describe variations in the conceptions of patients with type 2 diabetes who opted out of group-based education.

Methods: A phenomenographic approach was applied based on 18 individual interviews with patients in primary care who opted out of group-based education for type 2 diabetes.

Results: Three conceptions emerged regarding group-based education for type 2 diabetes, reflecting patients’ varied views and understanding. Some patients saw no need for group-based education and preferred individual learning. Others recognised the benefits and barriers of group-based education, such as inflexible schedules. Others appreciated the reflective and supportive environment, shared experiences, and greater self-insight.

Conclusions: Patients who declined group-based education held varied conceptions, from preferring individual counselling to recognising benefits. Understanding these variations supports more personalised education and better long-term self-management. These insights may inform clinical and assistive practices by promoting more flexible and person-centered approaches to diabetes education within primary care.

Diabetes mellitus presents global health challenges, thereby increasing the need for person-centred care. This cross-sectional study of 157 diabetes specialist nurses evaluated the theoretical structure of the Swedish version of the Learning potential of the workplace scale and explored whether the learning potential of the workplace, work engagement, quantitative demands, influence, stress and work experience in diabetes care were associated with nurses’ perceptions of person-centred care. Regression analysis showed that the variables “opportunity to reflect”, “support in learning’, “work engagement” and “work experience in diabetes care” were positively associated with perceived person-centred care. Perceived organisational and environmental support for person-centred care was positively linked to “opportunity to reflect”, “support in learning” and “influence” and negatively to “stress” and “quantitative demands”. Reporting followed the STROBE guidelines. The findings demonstrated that healthcare systems can enhance nurses’ ability to provide person-centred care for persons with diabetes by fostering learning-oriented workplaces and addressing organisational challenges.

Aim

To explore learning methods for nurses caring for patients with diabetes, focusing on foot care.

Background

Effective foot care is essential to prevent complications in patients with diabetes. While nurses play a key role in this care, many lack adequate knowledge and skills. Continuous professional development and targeted learning interventions are crucial for improving nurses’ knowledge.

Design

A rapid review was conducted to synthesize existing evidence on learning interventions for nurses in foot care for patients with diabetes.MethodThe literature search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Academic Search Premier, which were selected for their broad coverage of nursing and medical research. The review followed Dobbins’ five-step model, which involves defining a practice question, systematically searching for evidence, critically appraising sources, synthesizing evidence and assessing applicability and transferability. Additionally, the PRISMA 2020 checklist was followed.

Results

Eight studies were included, highlighting learning to improve and contain knowledge through various learning interventions such as e-learning, workshops, problem-based learning and multidisciplinary consultations. The findings indicate that interactive and practical learning methods improve nurses’ knowledge and skills in foot care for patients with diabetes.

Conclusions

Practical and interactive learning methods are crucial for enhancing nurses’ knowledge in foot care for patients with diabetes. Continuous education and reflection are essential for long-term improvements in clinical practice. Future research should focus on the learning process itself to better understand how nurses internalize and apply new knowledge. Emphasizing theoretical and practical aspects of education can lead to more effective and sustainable learning outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore patients' learning and support needs within contemporary diabetes care to help them deal with daily life challenges.

DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was used following the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies. The 15 individual face-to-face interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

SETTING: Participants were drawn from three healthcare centres in rural and urban regions of West Sweden.

PARTICIPANTS: The study involved 15 patients (8 men, 7 women) with T2DM who experienced contemporary diabetes care.

RESULTS: Patients expressed a strong desire for access to person-centred, multidimensional learning, with a focus on genuine partnership, tailored education, and emotional engagement. Digital tools were seen as valuable aids in their self-care efforts. Sub-themes were 'Desiring genuine partnership and tailored patient education' and 'Needing support related to altered perspectives on life and awareness of care standards but with finite care resources'.

CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that integrating person-centred, multidimensional learning strategies into diabetes care could be beneficial, particularly when addressing both practical and emotional needs. Encouraging active patient engagement through flexible digital solutions and providing support for emotional well-being may improve the overall patient experience. However, further research and practical application are needed to fully understand how these strategies could be effectively implemented to support patients with T2DM in managing their daily health challenges.

Personer med typ 2-diabetes ökar världen över. Enligt en ny studie vill patienterna att vården utgår från deras unika behov och resurser. Utöver kunskap om kost, motion och medicinering önskar de även få stöd kring känslomässiga och psykosociala aspekter av sjukdomen.

Background: Despite a variety of literature reviews, there is limited understanding of the learning strategies healthcare professionals use to help patients adopt and maintain effective foot care practices.

Aim: To explore learning processes and educational strategies for persons with diabetes focusing on foot care and examine how different learning processes influence these strategies.

Method: The scoping review followed the methodological framework established by Arksey and O'Malley and refined by Levac et al. Additionally, the PRISMA-ScR checklist was followed. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE and Academic Search Premier databases, using specific search terms related to diabetic foot care and learning strategies. The selection process involved screening 906 articles based on inclusion criteria such as relevance to diabetic foot care, learning processes, and educational strategies, and excluded studies that were not written in English. The data were charted and quantitative and qualitative data were synthesised and thematically analysed to identify key learning strategies.

Results:The analysis identified two main themes: learning insights for comprehensive understanding and self-efficacy, and increased practical knowledge leads to improved footcare. Subthemes included integrative and reflective learning, motivational and collaborative learning, task-oriented and procedural learning, and feedback and reinforcement-based learning.

Conclusion: Effective diabetic foot care education should be multifaceted, incorporating deep learning, practical skills, and motivational elements. Early learning plays a central role in this process. Tailoring educational interventions to personal learning styles and providing continuous support can significantly improve patients' foot care outcomes. A framework for understanding the progressive stages of patient learning and self-management is presented as a starting point. Future research should focus on developing and evaluating educational models that address diverse learning needs, ultimately contributing to better management and prevention of diabetic foot complications.

AIM: To describe patients' with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experiences of group-based self-management education with a digital website.

DESIGN: A qualitative approach with a phenomenologicalmethod. Patients participating in an earlier study, with self-experience of COPD as a special competence, were involved as research partners at the design of this study.

METHODS: Eleven individual and two group interviews with five participants in each group were conducted.

RESULTS: Group-based self-management education with a digital website supports learning. Sharing experiences with others in similar situations creates security and reduces the feeling of being alone. Based on questions and discussion in the group, and through self-reflection, general information is transformed into useful knowledge and understanding of one's own situation. COPD information on the website provides an opportunity to gain knowledge continuously based on needs that contributes to learning. This research has demonstrated that adapting learning activities to individual learning styles increases sustainability of learning. Sharing experiences reduces feelings of loneliness. It is therefore important to create spaces for sharing experiences and in-depth reflection that support learning over time.

Purpose:

Guidelines recommend starting glucose-lowering drug upon type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosis together with lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes are as essential as the drug, earlier recommendations allowed some months of lifestyle changes while being drug-free. Prescription on diagnosis may interfere with patients’ understanding and motivation for lifestyle changes if they cannot evaluate the effect on blood glucose.

Methods:

A phenomenographic approach and interviews were conducted with patients who started a glucose-lowering drug at diagnosis.

Results:

Three qualitatively different conceptions of being prescribed glucose-lowering drugs in connection to type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosis were found: “Drugs as something unwelcome,” “Drugs as a support,” and “Drugs as a means to reach the goal”. These conceptions range broadly from drugs as unwelcome to drugs as a support for lifestyle changes and an opportunity to influence the course of the lifelong disease to reach a goal.

Conclusions:

This study has identified various perspectives of patients’ understanding of the role of lifestyle changes in managing their disease. The patients undergo a process, and the perspectives vary, providing a more extensive and nuanced understanding. It is, therefore, impossible to apply a routine protocol and a person-centred approach is required when prescribing a glucose-lowering drug.