Education for type 2 diabetes mellitus self-care: from compliance to empowerment

Through a critical review of the literature on education for diabetes self-care and self-management, it was sought to point out the inappropriateness of traditional approaches towards compliance with treatment and transmission of information, considering the complexity of self-care under chronic conditions. The influence of the social sciences on the field of studies on chronic degenerative diseases in general, and diabetes in particular, was explored. From this perspective, it can be recognized that the fields of anthropology and sociology have been incorporated into research focusing more on individuals as patients, and on the experience gained through this process. Recently, there has been a slight change within the field of health education research relating to diabetes, with the introduction of strategies that seek to value the experience and autonomy of patients as self-care agents. This paper discusses the strategy for empowerment in education for diabetes self-care and self-management, as a dialogue-focused practice that respects patients' moral and cognitive autonomy.