The viewpoints of patients, families and medical team on internal barriers to blood glucose level management

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Internal barriers are an important group of barriers to blood glucose level control. Finding the viewpoints of patients, their families and medical team on these barriers is an important step towards correct planning and effective control of blood glucose. This study aimed to find and compare viewpoints of patients, their families and medical team about internal barriers to control glucose levels.

METHODS: This was a descriptive-comparative and cross-sectional study with three groups and one stage. A total of 938 subjects including 420 type 2 diabetic patients, 420 members of their families and 98 medical team staff participated in the study. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire that was completed by subjects. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics methods and SPSS software.

RESULTS: Results showed significant differences between viewpoints of the 3 groups of patients, families and medical team about internal barriers of blood glucose control (p < 0.001). The medical team gave the highest importance to these barriers while patients gave the lowest value to these barriers.

CONCLUSION: Regarding the significant difference between the viewpoints of three groups, it can be concluded that this difference may count for lack of success in controlling patients' glucose levels, because medical teams focus on barriers that are not so important to patients and their families and the barriers which are important in the viewpoints of patients and their families are less considered by the medical team.

KEY WORDS: Type 2 diabetes, internal barriers to blood glucose level control, viewpoint.