Clinical effectiveness of a brief educational intervention in Type 1 diabetes: results from the BITES (Brief Intervention in Type 1 diabetes, Education for Self-efficacy) trial

AIMS: Intensive 5-day educational interventions for people with Type 1 diabetes have shown improved outcomes in a number of European studies. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of a brief (2.5 days) psycho-educational intervention. METHODS: Our randomized trial in a secondary-care setting had 54 and 60 participants allocated to intervention and control groups, respectively. Primary outcomes were HbA(1c) and severe hypoglycaemia. Secondary outcomes were blood pressure, weight, height, lipids and psychometric profile. RESULTS: HbA(1c) showed no statistically significant change at 3 months [difference = 0.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.23, 0.26, P = 0.92], 6 months (difference = –0.06, 95% CI –0.32, 0.20, P = 0.67) and 12 months (difference = 0.01, 95% CI –0.30, 0.32, P = 0.94). Incidence of severe hypoglycaemia (per patient per year) in the intervention group (0.41) and control group (0.48) was not statistically different. Treatment satisfaction improved at 3 months (difference = 9.4, 95% CI 5.2, 13.6, P = 0.0005), 6 months (difference = 10.4, 95% CI 6.0, 14.8, P = 0.0005) and 12 months (difference = 7.1, 95% CI 2.1, 12.1, P = 0.006). The ‘Managing psychological aspects’ and ‘Setting and achieving goals’ dimensions of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale also showed significant improvement at 3, 6 and 12 months. Diabetes Knowledge Test, Illness Perception Questionnaire, Hypoglycaemia Fear Scale and Short Form 36 showed no significant change. CONCLUSIONS: This brief intervention had no significant impact on HbA(1c) or severe hypoglycaemia, but improved diabetes treatment satisfaction and patient empowerment. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN75807800.