Do doctors address the concerns of patients with diabetes?
Diabetes has an impact on people at both a biomedical and a holistic level. Furthermore there is a legitimate and substantial 'medical agenda' which doctors must address. But does this mean that they fail to deal with the concerns of their patients? A questionnaire study of diabetic patients attending the Manchester Diabetes Centre found that not all the patients' concerns were addressed in 25.5% of consultations. 220 (98%) patients were recruited from 225 approached. Not surprisingly, those who expressed three or more concerns were significantly less likely to have all their concerns addressed compared with those who had only one or two concerns (p = 0.001). The probability of having an individual concern addressed was 0.82. It was also found that Black-Caribbeans were significantly less likely to have their concerns addressed than Whites especially if they were over 60 years old (p = 0.03). This study concludes that doctors should be particularly aware of the needs of patients who express many concerns, and especially if they are Black-Caribbeans. Further research should develop strategies for improving the ability of doctors to identify and address the concerns of their patients.
Manchester Diabetes Centre, UK.
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Benett
D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D044383:Black People; D017691:Caribbean Region / Q000208:ethnology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004739:England; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011336:Probability; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People