News & Research
Diabetes Patients Rank Health Concerns Differently Than Their Doctors, UM Survey Shows
About one-third of physicians and people with diabetes do not agree on which are the most important health conditions to manage, according to the results of a survey by the University of Michigan Medical School. Both groups frequently ranked diabetes and hypertension among the greatest concerns, but 38 percent of doctors and only 18 percent of patients with diabetes said hypertension was the most important.
Physicians tend to focus on their patients' risks for long-term complications from high or uncontrolled blood sugar, such as heart disease or kidney disease. A patient with diabetes, however, may have more immediate concerns, such as back pain or depression.
These findings, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, are the result of a survey of 92 doctors and 1,200 patients with diabetes and hypertension. Of the 714 pairs examined, 28 percent did not prioritize health conditions the same way, with the differences strongest among the patients with more severe diabetes.
One reason for this may be that patients with poor health and additional burdens, such as financial stress or barriers to care, may focus on symptomatic problems, as these are most likely to affect their current limitations.
(c) Copyright 2010 Information, Inc.
EurekAlert (02/02/10)
The information contained in this article does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the American Diabetes Association.
(c) Copyright 2010 Information, Inc.
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