What is the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire), a reliable and valid instrument for evaluating diabetes self-management behaviors?

From the Guidelines

The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ) is a reliable, valid, and responsive tool for evaluating diabetes self-management behaviors in patients, as evidenced by recent studies 1.

Key Characteristics of the DSMQ

The DSMQ is designed to assess various self-care behaviors essential for effective diabetes control, including:

• Glucose monitoring
• Medication adherence
• Dietary control
• Physical activity
• Healthcare appointment attendance This instrument helps healthcare providers identify specific areas where patients may need additional support or education to improve their diabetes self-management.

Clinical Utility of the DSMQ

The DSMQ is particularly valuable in clinical settings because it can detect changes in self-management behaviors over time, making it ideal for measuring the effectiveness of educational interventions 1. When used alongside clinical measures like HbA1c levels, the DSMQ provides a comprehensive picture of both the behavioral aspects of diabetes management and the resulting glycemic control, allowing for more targeted and personalized care approaches.

Evidence-Based Recommendations

Recent guidelines emphasize the importance of diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) in improving clinical outcomes, health status, and well-being in patients with diabetes 1. The DSMQ can be a useful tool in DSMES, as it helps healthcare providers tailor their education and support to the individual needs and preferences of patients. By using the DSMQ to evaluate diabetes self-management behaviors, healthcare providers can make informed decisions about the type and intensity of support needed to improve patient outcomes.

From the Research

Overview of the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ)

• The DSMQ is a self-report measure designed to assess diabetes self-management behaviors in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes 2, 3, 4.
• The questionnaire evaluates self-care activities associated with glycaemic control, including glucose management, dietary control, physical activity, and health-care use 3.
• The DSMQ has been shown to be a reliable and valid instrument, with good internal consistency and convergent validity, and is able to explain a significant amount of variation in HbA1c levels 3, 4.

Components of the DSMQ

• The original DSMQ consists of 16 items, which are divided into four subscales: Glucose Management, Dietary Control, Physical Activity, and Health-Care Use 3.
• A revised version of the DSMQ, known as the DSMQ-R, has been developed, which includes 27 items and has been shown to have good clinimetric properties 2.
• The DSMQ-R assesses essential self-management practices, including diabetes-adjusted eating, glucose testing/monitoring, medication taking, physical activity, and cooperation with the diabetes team 2.

Use of the DSMQ in Research and Clinical Practice

• The DSMQ has been used in several studies to assess diabetes self-management behaviors and their relationship with glycaemic control 3, 4.
• The questionnaire has been shown to be a useful tool for identifying areas for improvement in self-management practices and for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving glycaemic control 4.
• The DSMQ may be useful for clinical assessments of patients with suboptimal diabetes outcomes or for research on factors affecting associations between self-management behaviors and glycaemic control 4.