HEALTH EDUCATION AND AUTONOMY OF PEOPLE WITH TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS: CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MULTIPROFESSIONAL TEAM

Abstract

Health education is a structuring component of care for people with diabetes mellitus, since the daily management of the disease occurs mostly outside health services. This study aimed to analyse scientific evidence on the contributions of health education delivered by the multiprofessional team to the promotion of autonomy, self-care and treatment adherence among people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This is an integrative literature review conducted according to the six stages proposed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005), reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, with levels of evidence classified according to the Joanna Briggs Institute. Searches were carried out in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, the Virtual Health Library, LILACS and SciELO, using DeCS and MeSH descriptors combined through Boolean operators, covering studies published between 2015 and 2026 in Portuguese, English or Spanish. The guiding question was structured using the PICO strategy. Twelve studies from eight countries were included, predominantly randomised controlled trials. Educational interventions were led by nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, community health workers and peer leaders, either individually or within team-based models. The most consistent effects were observed on self-care, self-efficacy, knowledge and health behaviours; effects on glycated haemoglobin were favourable but heterogeneous in magnitude and duration, with null findings in low-intensity interventions or those lacking continued support. It is concluded that health education fosters autonomy when it is structured, theoretically grounded, longitudinal and delivered through team-based arrangements, whereas isolated, single-discipline actions yield limited and non-sustained gains.