Keywords
Diabetes Mellitus; Self care; Primary health care; Decision making
Abstract
Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness that requires comprehensive evidence-based care. With many evidence arising about the importance of engaging the patient in self-management, we sought to analyze the situation in the state of Qatar, which has one of the highest diabetes prevalence rates in the region; to improve patients’ final health outcomes.
Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to type II diabetic patients (n=513), aged 35-86 years from both sexes. The participants were a convenience sample of patients attending the diabetic clinics of two primary health care centers. The primary independent variables were: patient understanding of diabetes, provider’s Participatory Decision-Making (PDM) style, and Communication (PCOM). Moreover, we aimed to assess the effect these variables had on the primary outcome, which is diabetes self-management. Associations between two or more qualitative variables were analyzed using chi-square test, with a continuity correction factor when appropriate. The unpaired ‘t’ and Mann-Whitney U tests were also utilized, with a calculation of the Cronbach’s alpha.
Results: Using ANOVA models, each of the primary independent variables was shown to be a significant predictor of diabetes self-management (P<0.001). However, after implementing multivariate regression, only the patient understanding variable was strongly associated with diabetes self-management. Finally, there was no significant correlation between PDM style, PCOM, patient understanding, or self-diabetes management on one hand and age or gender on the other.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that if diabetics understood their disease, they would have a better chance at self-management; despite the importance of provider participatory decision-making and communication in enhancing that understanding.
Citation
Aboulsoud S, Chehab MAH, Mujalli HAl, Chief PC, Habboub A and Selim N. Assessing Patients’ Understanding, Provider’s Participatory Decision-Making, and Communication among Type 2 Diabetic Patients and Their Impact on Diabetes Self-Management in Qatar’s Primary Healthcare Centers. SM J Public Health Epidemiol. 2016; 2(3): 1031.