Background and Objective:
Self-management interventions (SMI) are core components of high-quality care in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). T2DM patients experiences and perceptions of self-management and their disease can help to inform decision-making processes. We aimed to identify and summarise the perspectives of patients with T2DM and informal caregivers on SMI outcomes. This study is part of the COMPAR-EU project. This European initiative aims to identify, compare, and rank the most effective and cost-effective self-management interventions (SMIs) for adults in Europe living with type 2 diabetes, among other chronic conditions.

Methods:
We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO up to June 2021 for systematic reviews exploring the perspectives of adults with T2DM and their informal caregivers regarding self-management. Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction and quality assessment. We estimated the degree of overlap and used a thematic synthesis approach for the analysis.

Results:
We identified 54 reviews, corresponding to 1,031 studies, with a slight overlap. Most reviews (48/54, 89%) were considered high quality. We developed summaries for 22 outcomes. The main themes were 1) the diabetic identity; 2) health literacy and access to care; 3) SMI requirements; 4) outcomes awareness and perceived risk; 5) challenges of adhering to SM, and 6) adequate support in the SM process.

Conclusion:
Our results represent what patients with T2DM and their caregivers perceive as most important when dealing with SMI. Our findings are informative for researchers developing and evaluating new SMI and for guideline developers and policy-makers formulating decisions, including recommendations.