Background: Patient education is considered as an essential part of diabetes control. This research is conducted to compare the effect of education using team-based learning (TBL) method and lecture method on blood pressure (BP), serum levels of fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and Body mass index (BMI) in the elderly with diabetes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the effect of education using team-based learning (TBL) method and lecture method on controlling diabetes in the elderly.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 61 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes in diabetes clinics in Rafsanjan, during October 2018 to January 2019. Patients were selected using simple random sampling. They were divided into two groups of TBL and lecture-based learning. For each group, educational content was presented through 2-hour sessions held once a week for 1 months. FBS, HbA1c, BMI, and BP were measured at baseline and 3 months after the intervention.

Results: After the intervention, the TBL group had a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic BP compared to the lecture group. Before and 3 months after the intervention in the TBL group, there was a significant decrease between the means of FBS, HbA1c, and systolic and diastolic BP, but in the lecture group, only the systolic BP showed a significant decrease.

Conclusion: TBL method had more effects on controlling diabetes type 2 in the elderly than the lecture method. It is suggested that health providers should consider TBL for the education of the elderly with diabetes.

I studied at the National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents in Iran during school. Now, I’m a Master’s student in Critical Care Nursing at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, having started in 2023. I earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Kerman University (2019-2023) and studied English Literature at Payam Noor University (2015-2019). I’ve published research on substance craving, complementary medicine in prostate cancer, intermittent fasting effects, and body image in mastectomy women. I’ve presented at several conferences. I’m a member of the Iranian National Elites Foundation and served in executive roles at the Razi Scientific Nursing Association and Kerman University.