Background: India's growing economy has led to radical lifestyle changes and one of the consequences is an unexpected explosion of non-communicable diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes. The prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes has more than doubled since 1980 from four to over eight percent in 2016. India has today the second largest adult population affected by Type 2 Diabetes in the world. 72.9 million adults had diabetes in India 2017 and by year 2035 this number is predicted to rise to 109 million. To cope with this epidemic, patients will need to perform adequate self-management. Nurses’ may have a major part in providing the support and knowledge patients require to be able to perform this. 

Aim: The aim of the study is to describe nurses’ experience of good self-management among patients diagnosed with T2D.

Method: The study has a descriptive and qualitative design. Semi structured interviews with open-ended questions were carried out at a hospital setting in Kerala, India.

Results: The analysis from the interviews resulted in three sub-themes and one main theme. The three sub-themes are Support from the family is fundamental for the patient's well-being, The importance of individualized care and The importance of teaching patients how to manage their condition. The three sub-themes resulted in the main theme Three Cornerstones for good self-management.

Discussion: The result demonstrates that the nurses’ finds individualized care as an important matter. The participants declare that patients have different knowledge regarding Type 2 Diabetes, and how individualized care is a way to provide what the patient requires in order to perform self-management. The nurses also express how they always involve the patients' family, since their experience is that the absence of the family impairs the patient's condition.