Pilot RCT of a Chinese Medicine Diabetes Education Programme

This pilot randomised controlled trial evaluates the feasibility, acceptability andpreliminary effects of a Chinese medicine diabetes education programme for adults withtype 2 diabetes in Hong Kong.While Western‐medicine‐based diabetes education is well established locally, systematicand interactive Chinese medicine education remains limited. The programme integratesChinese medicine concepts (body constitution, pattern differentiation, dietary therapy,emotional regulation, acupressure and lifestyle advice) with modern self‐managementprinciples. Content was refined through literature review, patient input and Delphiconsensus.Forty adults with type 2 diabetes will be randomly allocated (1:1) to either a 4‐weekgroup education programme (four sessions, total 4‐6 hours) or usual care. The controlgroup will be offered the programme after final follow‐up. Participants and facilitatorsare not blinded due to the nature of the educational intervention; outcome assessors willremain blinded to group allocation.Primary aims are to assess feasibility (recruitment, retention, adherence) andacceptability. Exploratory outcomes, measured at baseline, post‐intervention and 2‐monthfollow‐up, include diabetes management self‐efficacy (Chinese version of the DiabetesManagement Self‐Efficacy Scale, C‐DMSES; Wu et al., 2008), self‐management behaviours,blood glucose, lipids, BMI and blood pressure. Focus group interviews will gatherqualitative feedback.