Department of Sociology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
Department of Demography and Population Studies, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 27;19(8):e0309451. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309451. eCollection 2024.
The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ushered in a period of fear and uncertainty, resulting in structural instability across the globe. Vulnerable individuals, such as patients with diabetes mellitus, are predispose to have adverse effects and complications of COVID-19 when infected. We explored the perception of diabetes mellitus patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and their coping mechanisms at the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
We employed an exploratory qualitative study design to explore diabetes mellitus patients' perceptions and coping mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 32 participants (2 health professionals and 30 diabetes mellitus patients). In-depth interviews were used to collect the data from the participants. All the recorded audio data were transcribed verbatim and exported to NVivo software for thematic data analyses.
Most diabetes mellitus patients were not fearful of the pandemic but were optimistic that it would not affect their health. Mechanisms such as the usage of herbal medicines and adherence to COVID-19 precautionary measures were noticed among patients. The study also revealed that the hospital's coping mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic include prolonged appointments, limiting the number of patients attended per clinic day, and the provision of telehealth service. Patients in our study utilised negative coping mechanisms such as reduced drug dosages, subscriptions to cheaper drug brands, and reliance on religious institutions rather than a clinic for health instructions.
The study has shown that diabetes mellitus patients were not fearful of the COVID-19 pandemic. The utilisation of telehealth, encouragement of daily monitoring of sugar levels, provision of avenues for a medication review, and adherence to the safety protocols were coping mechanisms employed by the health system and diabetes mellitus patients. We recommend that the government and other healthcare stakeholders reinforce the resilience of diabetes mellitus patients by alleviating their health burdens during the pandemic. This could be done by subsidizing the prices of drugs, tests, and consultation fees for patients with diabetes mellitus. Also, more efforts should be made to elevate the health system through the reduction in waiting and appointment times in the diabetes clinic and employing more health personnel in the clinic.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）引发了一段恐惧和不确定的时期，导致全球结构不稳定。易感染 COVID-19 的脆弱个体，如糖尿病患者，感染后易出现不良影响和并发症。我们在伊巴丹大学教学医院探索了 COVID-19 大流行期间糖尿病患者的看法及其应对机制。
我们采用探索性定性研究设计来探索 COVID-19 大流行期间糖尿病患者的看法及其应对机制。采用目的抽样技术招募了 32 名参与者（2 名卫生专业人员和 30 名糖尿病患者）。使用深入访谈从参与者那里收集数据。所有记录的音频数据都逐字转录，并导出到 NVivo 软件中进行主题数据分析。
大多数糖尿病患者并不害怕大流行，但乐观地认为它不会影响他们的健康。在患者中注意到使用草药和遵守 COVID-19 预防措施等机制。研究还表明，医院在 COVID-19 大流行期间的应对机制包括延长预约时间、限制每个诊所日就诊的患者人数以及提供远程医疗服务。我们的研究中的患者使用了消极的应对机制，例如减少药物剂量、订阅较便宜的药物品牌以及依赖宗教机构而不是诊所获取健康指导。
该研究表明，糖尿病患者并不害怕 COVID-19 大流行。卫生系统和糖尿病患者采用的应对机制包括使用远程医疗、鼓励日常监测血糖水平、提供药物审查途径以及遵守安全协议。我们建议政府和其他医疗保健利益相关者通过减轻糖尿病患者在大流行期间的健康负担来增强糖尿病患者的适应力。这可以通过为糖尿病患者降低药物、测试和咨询费用的价格来实现。此外，还应通过减少糖尿病诊所的候诊和预约时间并在诊所雇用更多卫生人员来努力加强卫生系统。
