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Abstract
The estimated one million Australians with type 2 diabetes face significant risks of morbidity and premature mortality. Inadequate diabetes self‐management is associated with poor glycaemic control, which is further impaired by comorbid dysphoria. Regular access to ongoing self‐management and psychological support is limited, especially in rural and regional locations. Web‐based interventions can provide complementary support to patients' usual care. Semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with two samples that comprised (a) 13 people with type 2 diabetes and (b) 12 general practitioners (GPs). Interviews explored enablers and barriers to self‐care, emotional challenges, needs for support, and potential web‐based programme components. Patients were asked about the potential utility of a web‐based support programme, and GPs were asked about likely circumstances of patient referral to it. Thematic analysis was used to summarise responses. Most perceived facilitators and barriers to self‐management were similar across the groups. Both groups highlighted the centrality of dietary self‐management, valued shared decision‐making with health professionals, and endorsed the idea of web‐based support. Some emotional issues commonly identified by patients varied to those perceived by GPs, resulting in different attributions for impaired self‐care. A web‐based programme that supported self‐management and psychological/emotional needs appears likely to hold promise in yielding high acceptability and perceived utility.
The authors wish to declare that there are no conflicts of interest concerned with the proceedings involved in this study, or the production of this article.
The authors wish to declare that there are no conflicts of interest concerned with the proceedings involved in this study, or the production of this article.
Acknowledgements
The authors of this article wish to acknowledge the Wesley Research Institute and Mitsubishi Incorporated for their funding support of this project. Diabetes Australia – Queensland and Dr Dominique Bird are acknowledged for supporting participant recruitment to this study.
Notes
The authors wish to declare that there are no conflicts of interest concerned with the proceedings involved in this study, or the production of this article.