It's up to me! Experiences of living with pre-diabetes and the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS

To explore experiences of pre-diabetes and the associated increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

Eight participants with pre-diabetes were interviewed for a 45-60 min period. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach.

RESULTS

Living with pre-diabetes means existing on the borderline of being healthy and suffering from T2DM. Three themes were formulated; "seeing possibilities in an uncertain future", "facing obstacles and loss of liberty" and "balancing between possibilities and obstacles" Being on the borderline and balancing between possibilities and obstacles were interpreted as a distressing feeling of being at increased risk of developing T2DM, although this feeling can change to one of either facing possibilities or facing obstacles.

CONCLUSIONS

Special focus must be directed towards persons with pre-diabetes, as they are caught between possibilities and obstacles. Advanced care in the form of health dialogues can convince these people of their own abilities to influence the outcome of pre-diabetes. The result of this study can guide health care practitioners in comprehending each participant's understanding of the situation, thus helping them to create pedagogical dialogues in which patients' experiences, conceptions, explanations as well as explicit and implicit questions are identified.