Turning Points as Opportunities to Partner with Patients Living with type 2 Diabetes or Prediabetes.

INTRODUCTION

Understanding patients' perspectives about their diabetes and what causes those perspectives to shift is critical to building a treatment strategy with the patient and facilitating patient self-management behavior. Key "turning points" can provide crucial opportunities to enact a change in perspective. The goal of this study is to identify "turning points" that have significance to diabetes-related health.

METHODS

Research coordinators interviewed 33 patients aged 25 to 65 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus or prediabetes at medical centers in Augusta, Georgia, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Retrospective interview technique and turning point analysis was employed to plot health or diabetes management changes from diagnosis up to the present day. The constant comparative method was used to conduct a thematic analysis. Axial coding identified properties characterizing each turning point.

RESULTS

Patients reported 5 interrelated turning points occurring at various times after diagnosis: 1) either through patients own research and/or a health care class; 2) including exercising and healthier eating; 3) including events that derailed healthy behavior, motivated health behavior, and removed barriers to enacting healthy behavior; 4) either through holding patients accountable or encouraging them to enact healthy behavior; and 5) such as medication changes or behavior changes critical to disease management.

DISCUSSION

These turning points provide specific moments throughout diabetes care in which family physicians can effectively partner with patients. By prompting, facilitating, or attending to these turning points, family physicians can partner with patients throughout diabetes care.