Obstacles and Related Factors Faced by Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes in Managing Diabe

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this research is to identify the obstacles that patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes face in diabetes management.

METHODS: The population of the study consisted of 244 patients who applied to internal medicine clinics of the Public Hospital in Nevşehir between December 2018 and September 2019 with diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. The Patient Identification Form and the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) were used to collect the data. In data analysis, percent, mean, and standard deviation were used for descriptive analyses, and Independent samples t-test and One-way ANOVA test were used for comparisons.

RESULTS: The DOQ sub-scale scores of the individuals included in the study were found as 16.75 ± 49.18 for self-monitoring, 25.92 ± 37.31 for diagnosis, 13.40 ± 34.46 for lifestyle changes, and 33.96 ± 30.93 for coping. It was found that women faced more disabilities than men (P <.05) at diagnosis sub-scale; 60 years old and over faced more obstacles at knowledge and beliefs and lifestyle changes sub-scales; the single group faced more obstacles than the married group (P <.05) at medication sub-scale; the group that did not comply with the diet and exercise was the group that encountered the obstacles most in all sub-scales except for diagnosis sub-scale (P <.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In this study, it was found that the patients encountered the most obstacles related to coping with diabetes, diagnosis, self-monitoring, and lifestyle changes. It has been identified that variables such as gender, age, marital status, exercise status, and adherence to diet affect the barriers patients face in diabetes management. It is recommended to support patients in diabetes management more and to plan nursing education considering the individual differences and conditions related to the areas they perceive as obstacles.