Even though this is a small UK study,
it could apply to any developed country and fit the conditions found
in this study. This study highlights many of the problems people with
diabetes face on a daily basis. These problems include prejudice,
ignorance, and stereotyping not only by medical professionals, but
also by the society in general.
It is no wonder that even with a trend
toward having individuals manage their own health; individuals are
ready and able to do this, but need more support. Even in the USA,
many doctors are not supporting having individuals manage their
diabetes. They often feel that education is wasted on uncaring
individuals and many doctors use fear to force people to use oral
medications when insulin may make the individuals task of managing
their diabetes easier. Plus many in the medical profession feel that
for type 2 diabetes, insulin should be the medication of last resort.
If you are a person with type 2
diabetes, you invest time and effort in managing your diabetes. This
includes self-monitoring of your blood glucose levels, managing your
medications, and carefully following a restricted diet. On top of
this, there are the challenges of not offending relatives who think
they have your interests at heart. Then we all have the food police
that can be rude and offensive in their instructions about what you
may consume. Lastly, we have the diabetes police that want to tell
you when to test and want to know what the reading is so they can
advise you. If you thought life was difficult, then consider the
doctors that use fear to motivate you or doctors that belittle you
for not having followed orders that were never that specific in the
first place.
Since the doctor cannot be with you but
only 15 to 30 minutes per appointment approximately four times per
year, we must learn to manage our diabetes on a daily basis. This
means that for over 99 percent of the time, you are on your own in
managing your diabetes.
What is interesting about this study
compared to many studies, is that the researchers shadowed the
participants for several periods of two to five hours while they were
living their lives. They took notes of how they managed their
diabetes and the challenges they faced. Trisha Greenhalgh, Professor
of Primary Health Care at Queen Mary, University of London, led the
study. She said, “Until now there has been very little research on
what people with diabetes do and how they cope when health
professionals aren’t around. We have shown that self-management
of diabetes is hard work both practically and emotionally, and that
many but not all people with diabetes are skilful at undertaking and
co-ordinating all the different tasks involved."
It is interesting that this part was
examined and the participants praised for the efforts they put into
managing diabetes. They did say that for those not managing their
diabetes well, it was understandable since many were cycled in family
responsibilities, some had other illnesses, and some were struggling
financially, or even had a combination of these factors. The
researchers correctly state that these factors can limit
opportunities to manage diabetes and that those who could benefit the
most from self-management were the ones least able to achieve it.
The researchers did acknowledge that
more needs to be known about how patients manage diabetes outside the
clinic. In reality, doctors should be more aware of the efforts
patients expend to self-manage their diabetes and understand the many
factors that will influence how successful patients are. Until
doctors are better able to assess patients and their ability to
manage their diabetes, little will be acknowledged in the value of
education patients receive. Doctors will continue to resist
educating patients.
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