Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.
NY-Regional Center for Diabetes Translation Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Diabetes Technol Ther. 2021 Sep;23(9):616-622. doi: 10.1089/dia.2021.0075.
Racial-ethnic disparities in diabetes technology use are well documented in young adults (YA) with type 1 diabetes (T1D), but modifiable targets for intervention still need to be identified. Our objective was to explore YA perspectives on technology access and support in routine clinical care. Participants were YA with T1D of Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black race-ethnicity from pediatric and adult endocrinology clinics in the Bronx, NY. We conducted semistructured individual interviews to explore how health care and personal experiences affected technology use. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. We used a modified inductive coding approach with two independent coders and iterative coding processes to improve data reliability and validity. We interviewed 40 YA with T1D: mean age 22 years; 62% female; 72% Medicaid insured; 72% Hispanic; 28% non-Hispanic Black; and mean hemoglobin A1C 10.3%. Themes were categorized into potentially exacerbating and alleviating factors of racial-ethnic disparities in technology use. Exacerbating factors included perceptions that providers were gatekeepers of information and prescription access to technology, providers did not employ shared decision making for use, and YA biases against technology were left unaddressed. Alleviating factors included provider optimism and tailoring of technology benefits to YA needs, and adequate Medicaid insurance coverage. Our results reveal potential intervention targets at the provider level to increase technology uptake among underrepresented YA with T1D. Diabetes health care providers need to be aware of inadvertent withholding of information and prescription access to technology. Provider approaches that address YA technology concerns and promote shared decision making help to mitigate racial/ethnic disparities in technology use.
种族和民族差异在年轻的 1 型糖尿病 (T1D) 患者中使用糖尿病技术方面有充分的记录,但仍需要确定可干预的目标。我们的目的是探讨青少年对常规临床护理中技术获取和支持的看法。 参与者是来自纽约州布朗克斯区儿科和成人内分泌科的 T1D 西班牙裔或非西班牙裔黑人种族的青少年。我们进行了半结构化的个人访谈,探讨医疗保健和个人经历如何影响技术的使用。访谈进行了录音并转录以供分析。我们使用了一种改进的归纳编码方法,由两名独立的编码员进行,通过迭代编码过程来提高数据的可靠性和有效性。 我们采访了 40 名患有 T1D 的青少年:平均年龄 22 岁;62%为女性;72%由医疗补助保险承保;72%为西班牙裔;28%为非西班牙裔黑人;平均血红蛋白 A1C 为 10.3%。主题分为加剧和缓解技术使用种族和民族差异的潜在因素。加剧因素包括提供者是信息和技术处方获取的把关人,提供者没有采用共同决策来使用技术,以及青少年对技术的偏见没有得到解决。缓解因素包括提供者的乐观态度和根据青少年的需求调整技术的好处,以及充足的医疗补助保险覆盖范围。 我们的研究结果揭示了提供者层面上的潜在干预目标,以增加代表性不足的 T1D 青少年对技术的接受程度。糖尿病保健提供者需要意识到无意中对技术信息和处方的隐瞒。解决青少年技术问题并促进共同决策的提供者方法有助于缓解技术使用方面的种族/民族差异。