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Patient explanations for non‐attendance at structured diabetes education sessions for newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study
Author(s) -
Winkley K.,
Evwierhoma C.,
Amiel S. A.,
Lempp H. K.,
Ismail K.,
Forbes A.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
diabetic medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.474
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1464-5491
pISSN - 0742-3071
DOI - 10.1111/dme.12556
Subject(s) - medicine , attendance , shame , thematic analysis , qualitative research , type 2 diabetes , cohort , population , family medicine , stigma (botany) , patient education , health education , gerontology , nursing , diabetes mellitus , public health , psychiatry , psychology , social psychology , social science , environmental health , endocrinology , sociology , economics , economic growth
Aim To determine the reasons for non‐attendance at structured education sessions among people with a recent diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Methods This was a qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews to elicit the main themes explaining non‐attendance. A thematic framework method was applied to analyse the data. People who had not attended structured education were recruited from a population cohort of newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes from South London (the South London Diabetes cohort study), UK . Results A sample of 30 people was interviewed. Three main themes emerged from the qualitative data explaining non‐attendance at structured education: (1) lack of information/perceived benefit of the programme (e.g. not being informed about the course by their health professional); (2) unmet personal preferences (e.g. parking, timing); and (3) shame and stigma of diabetes (e.g. not wishing to tell others of diabetes diagnosis). Conclusion This is the first time that reasons for non‐attendance have been explored in depth among people who have newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. Novel reasons identified included non‐attendance because of shame and stigma of diabetes. To improve uptake at structured education we need to: consider how health professionals in primary care communicate with their patients on the subject of structured diabetes education; offer alternatives to the traditional group education format; and understand that diabetes is associated with health‐related stigma, which may affect participation.