The European Diabetes Literacy Project collected and analyzed information about existing self-management education programs for people with type 2 diabetes within the Member States of the
European Union and Israel, Taiwan and the United Sates, considered the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different methods for diabetes education as well as the moderating role of health literacy and the conditions for effective implementation, and developed and tested literacy-appropriate materials.
The compendium can be used as a technical handbook to identify existing programs for referral purposes, but also helps to identify unmet needs and threats to diabetes education in Europe. It highlights opportunities and perspectives to further develop the field of diabetes self-management, through professional training and policy making. While training of health professional can improve the effectiveness of self-management education for those citizens who have a chronic disease, policy decisions are a key requirement for the improvement of professional training, and for enhancing the availability and accessibility of diabetes self-management education for people who need it.