title: [A study of experience and consequences of diabetes. Increased psychosocial support in the care of diabetes is needed].
abstract: Having diabetes affects life in many ways. The achievement of well-functioning self-care is highly dependent on the patient's ability to come to terms with the disease as an integral part of life, an integration which in turn is crucially dependent on the patient's emotional experience of the disease and trustful relationships with the health care professionals involved. Thus, the caregiver's professional expertise must include knowledge of the medical, psychological and social aspects of the disease. The article consists in a review of the results and conclusions of a population study designed to examine insulin-dependent diabetics' experience of living with their disease, their use of, and attitudes to, diabetes care, and the social and psychosocial impact of the disease on their lifestyle. The principal determinants of the patients' relationship both to the disease itself and to diabetes care appeared to be gender and the presence or absence of chronic complications. Another finding was the need of increased psychosocial support expressed by many patients, which suggests medical social workers to be important members of the diabetes care team.
authors.affiliation: Landstingets undervisningscentrum för diabetes, LUCD, Karolinska sjukhuset, Stockholm.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gåfvels
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
vernacular_title: Studie av upplevelse och konsekvenser av diabetes. Okat psykosocialt stöd behövs i diabetesvården.