The American Association of Diabetes Educators, supported through a grant from Merck commissioned a nationwide online survey among type 2 diabetes patients …
Type 2 Diabetes Nationwide Survey Summary
The American Association of Diabetes Educators, supported through a grant from Merck Co, Inc, commissioned a nationwide online survey among type 2 diabetes patients and primary care physicians who see at least three type 2 diabetes patients per month with the objective of determining attitudes toward and understanding of existing approaches to diabetes treatment This survey was conducted by Harris Interactive and the key findings are below
Overall, a majority of patients appear knowledgeable about managing their condition, but upon closer inspection the picture becomes less positive
69 percent of patients feel very knowledgeable or knowledgeable about managing their condition, yet 59 percent of patients believe their diabetes is somewhat or not at all wellcontrolled o 76 percent of patients have reported experiencing one or more diabetes-related condition, such as fatigue 51 percent, weight gain 28 percent, blurred or impaired vision 27 percent, and hypoglycemia 26 percent 55 percent of patients dont know their A1C level, or in the past six months have not had it checked or are unsure if theyve had it tested
There is a disconnect
between how well patients think they are self-managing diabetes versus how well physicians think their patients are self-managing the disease
83 percent of patients who say they are on a healthy, balanced diet think they follow their healthcare providers instructions well or very well However, in comparison, only 29 percent of physicians believe this to be the case 77 percent of patients who engage in regular physical activity say they comply well or very well with healthcare providers instructions for getting regular physical activity, while only 18 percent of physicians say that is the case
Physician understanding of the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes seems to be inconsistent
The incretin system plays an important part in regulating blood sugar levels; yet 51 percent of physicians say the incretin system is somewhat important or not at all important in regulating blood sugar levels Beta cell dysfunction plays a large role in the progression of type 2 diabetes [National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health]; yet 78 percent of physicians say insulin resistance is the most important contributor to type 2 diabetes progression
in the majority of their patient population, followed by beta cell dysfunction 20 percent
Most patients on oral medications for type 2 diabetes highly rate their effectiveness; yet even among patients who tout their efficacy, many have reported having complications from diabetes or side effects from oral medication
77 percent of patients on oral medications say their medications are very effective 32 percent or effective 45 percent Page 1 of 3
Type 2 Diabetes Nationwide Survey Summary
Among these patients, 74 percent experience one or more diabetes-related condition and 38 percent experience side effects from their oral medications Patients on oral medications are most concerned about weight gain 31 percent as a side effect of oral medication, while physicians express more concern about hypoglycemia 71 percent o
Many patients have worked with diabetes educators and among most patients who havent, there is interest to learn from them Recommendations from a healthcare provider are a key trigger to working with diabetes educators
59 percent of patients have worked with a diabetes educator Of those who have worked with a diabetes educator, 78 percent received a
recommendation to do so from their healthcare provider; and of those who have not worked with a diabetes educator, 82 percent did not receive a recommendation from their healthcare provider Patients who see an endocrinologist 80 percent for their type 2 diabetes care are more likely than patients who see primary care physicians 56 percent to have worked with a diabetes educator Of patients surveyed who see an endocrinologist, 71 percent received a recommendation to see a diabetes educator, versus 52 percent of respondents who see a 1 primary care physician 78 percent of patients who have not worked with a diabetes educator would like to learn something from them, including how to reduce the risk of diabetes complications 39 percent, strategies for healthy eating 38 percent, and information on new type 2 diabetes medications 33 percent
Patients with type 2 diabetes who have seen a diabetes educator are more positive about their knowledge of diabetes management and feel more confident about following a healthy, balanced diet than patients who have not worked with one
76 percent of patients who have worked with a diabetes educator feel knowledgeable about managing their type 2
diabetes, compared to only 61 percent of patients who havent worked with a diabetes educator 94 percent of patients with diabetes who have worked with a diabetes educator say they understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet well or very well, compared to 83 percent of patients who havent worked with a diabetes educator
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Note: Caution should be exercised when interpreting these results as data of patients who have seen endocrinologists n83 are based on small sample size Page 2 of 3
Type 2 Diabetes Nationwide Survey Summary
Survey Methodology
The surveys were conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of The American Association of Diabetes Educators The patient survey was conducted between April 6 and 14, 2006, among 784 adults aged 18 and over diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the United States Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents propensity to be online Propensity score adjustment via weighting allows us to adjust for attitudinal and
behavioral differences between those who are online versus offline, those who join online panels versus those who do not, and those who responded to this survey versus those who did not The primary care physicians PCPs survey was conducted between April 7 and 12, 2006, among 406 PCPs who see at least three type 2 diabetes patients per month Figures for sex, years in practice, and region were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population These results were not propensity weighted With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error but not other sources of error is not greater than some number With a pure probability sample of 784 patients one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of /- 53 percentage points, while the error rate for 406 physicians is /- 66 percentage points Sampling error for the sub samples for each group is higher and varies Each of the online surveys is not based on probability samples and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated
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Source:harrisinteractive.com
