Search results

Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are promising alternatives to traditional face-to-face psychological interventions to improve psychological outcomes in various chronic health conditions. However, their efficacy among people with diabetes is yet to be established. Therefore, this narrative review aims to identify the importance and need for evidence-based research on DMHIs targeting the psychological outcomes in people with diabetes.

Using a narrative review approach, this study highlights the technological advancements in diabetes health care and identifies a need for developing DMHIs for people with diabetes.

DMHIs are promising for improving psychological outcomes in people with diabetes. However, there is a need for further rigorous, controlled and high-quality diabetes-focused studies, to make firm conclusions on the effectiveness and appropriateness of DMHIs for patients with diabetes. This review also suggests that DMHIs based on psychological theories and studies with higher quality methodologies are also needed.

This review highlights the contemporary literature on diabetes and related technological advancements. The findings of this study serve as a basis of the improvement of policy on digital mental health services for people with diabetes, to impact the global burden of the disease.

There has been an increase in research exploring the area of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and diabetes. Despite being described as instrumental to diabetes care for people with IDD, the role and experiences of family carers, such as parents and siblings, are often neglected in this research. However, it is clear that family carers do not feel that they have sufficient knowledge about diabetes. The purpose of this commentary is to extend the content from “Diabetes and people with learning disabilities: Issues for policy, practice, and education (Maine et al., 2020)” and discuss how family carers can feel better supported when caring for someone with IDD and diabetes.

This commentary discusses specific efforts such as STOP diabetes, DESMOND-ID and OK-diabetes for people with IDD including family carers. Encouragement is given for health care providers to recommend such programmes to people with IDD and their family carers. It is also suggested that health care providers involve family carers in diabetes care planning and implementation for people with IDD.

It is hoped that if changes are made to current diabetes practices and more research with family carers is conducted, diabetes prevention and management for people with IDD will be more successful and family carers can feel more confident in providing support to their loved ones.

Research exploring the role of family carers in diabetes care for people with IDD and diabetes is very limited. This commentary makes recommendations to help family carers feel better supported in their role. It also provides areas for future research.

Women experience a triple burden of ill-health spanning non-communicable diseases (NCDs), reproductive and maternal health conditions and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst there is research on integrated service experiences of women living with HIV (WLHIV) and cancer, little is known regarding those of WLHIV, diabetes and/or hypertension when accessing integrated care. Our research responds to this gap.

The INTE-AFRICA project conducted a pragmatic parallel arm cluster randomised trial to scale up and evaluate “one-stop” integrated care clinics for HIV-infection, diabetes and hypertension at selected primary care centres in Uganda. A qualitative process evaluation explored and documented patient experiences of integrated care for HIV, diabetes and/or hypertension. In-depth interviews were conducted using a phenomenological approach with six WLHIV with diabetes and/or hypertension accessing a “one stop” clinic. Thematic analysis of narratives revealed five themes: lay health knowledge and alternative medicine, community stigma, experiences of integrated care, navigating personal challenges and health service constraints.

WLHIV described patient pathways navigating HIV and diabetes/hypertension, with caregiving responsibilities, poverty, travel time and cost and personal ill health impacting on their ability to adhere to multi-morbid integrated treatment. Health service barriers to optimal integrated care included unreliable drug supply for diabetes/hypertension and HIV linked stigma. Comprehensive integrated care is recommended to further consider gender sensitive aspects of care.

This study whilst small scale, provides a unique insight into the lived experience of WLHIV navigating care for HIV and diabetes and/or hypertension, and how a “one stop” integrated care clinic can support them (and their children) in their treatment journeys.

The aim of this study is to determine the preferences to participate in diabetes screening program of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in postpartum period.

The data of retrospective and descriptive study were collected using “Individual Identification Form” and “Information Form for the Screening of Diabetes in the Postpartum Period” from 151 women in referred to obstetrics and gynecology clinic of a university hospital in Turkey.

Only 21.9% of women had diabetes screening in postpartum period and 21.2% of the participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It was determined that the participants mostly participated in screening because of the diabetes history in their family (30.3%). Women who had diabetes screening in postpartum period had lower level of education than those who did not and their level of knowledge about the screening in postpartum and the history of abortion were higher (p < 0.01).

The rate of participation in the screening for diabetes in the postpartum period is very low in pregnant women diagnosed with GDM. It was determined that the educational status, history of previous abortion and knowledge level of the women were factors that prevented participation in diabetes screening. This research is original because there are inadequacy of studies examining determining the participation status of pregnant women with GDM to diabetes screening in the literature. This study will contribute to health professionals in order to improve preventive factors and increase the participation of pregnant women with GDM in diabetes screening in the postpartum period.

This paper's aim is to identify whether community‐level socioeconomic status (SES) predicts: screening test for pre‐diabetes; actual diagnosis of pre‐diabetes; or nutritional counseling.

This is an analysis of 1,348,124 insured adults receiving medical care from Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) in 107 MHS clinics throughout Israel. The research population comprised 79 percent of the MHS members over 18 years of age in 2004‐2006. Area level socioeconomic data were drawn from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics SES index for every geographical area and each MHS clinic in the study was coded from: −1.03 to 2.73 (−1.03 indicating low SES and 2.73+ high SES) according to the SES index for the location. The fasting glucose laboratory test was used for analysis. Pre‐diabetes diagnosis was based on a fasting glucose above 100 mg/dl. Nutritional counseling was defined by dietitian visits in the claims database.

The percentage of insured individuals who underwent blood glucose testing during the study increased with age from 67 percent at ages 18‐45 to 92 percent for age 65 and over. The percentage of individuals diagnosed with pre‐diabetes also increased with age, rising from 4 percent in the younger group to 14 percent in those aged 46‐65 and to 14‐16 percent of 65 and older. The percentage of individuals with pre‐diabetes who visited a dietitian was 16‐27 percent for those under 65 and 14‐17 percent for those over 65 (males and females, respectively). Individuals living in lower socioeconomic areas were less likely to have blood tests. Among tested patients, the prevalence of pre‐diabetes was higher in areas of lower SES and their dietitian visits were less frequent.

In lower SES index areas, there is a need for better identification and treatment of patients.

The paper shows that a proactive approach is needed both to detect pre‐diabetes and to encourage patients to receive nutritional treatment.

Wherever elderly individuals with diabetes reside, whether at home, in a residential home or in a nursing home, they deserve to have good‐quality, structured care provided by carers who have the relevant knowledge and skills. In order to achieve this carers need ongoing education and training. The evidence suggests that diabetes care in residential and nursing homes is varied and standards need to be improved. The literature points to education and training for care home staff as a central tenet to increasing the quality of diabetes care. This article reports the outcome of a collaborative approach to diabetes education and demonstrates that increased awareness in diabetes care is actively sought by staff working in residential and nursing homes. The teaching sessions reported were positively evaluated and demonstrated an increase in the knowledge of the participants. It is envisaged that this will be reflected in improved quality of diabetes care for elderly people. The author discusses the need to ensure that education and training is ongoing and recommends that policy makers, both at a national and local level, embrace the evidence and facilitate this process.

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the extant literature on diabetes in people with learning disabilities (LD) and discuss implications for policy, practice and research.

The key findings are extracted from qualitative and quantitative studies and recent systematic literature reviews. These findings are discussed in the areas of prevalence, treatments and implications.

The complex health needs of people with LDs who are diagnosed or at risk of developing diabetes are gaining wider recognition, and recent studies have begun to implement and evaluate potential solutions. Further analysis and alignment between services is required.

Following a dearth of studies on diabetes in people with LD, the past decade has seen a sudden upsurge in large and diverse set of studies. This paper provides an overview on the extent of this study.

This article focuses on the dietary requirements of people with Diabetes Mellitus, both insulin dependent and non‐insulin dependent. It is one disorder where good dietary management can benefit control, well being and avoid complications. The guidelines for dietary intake for those with Diabetes Mellitus both past and present are given. The recommended intake of carbohydrate, fruit and vegetables, sugar, protein, fat, salt and alcohol are also discussed. The study itself focuses on the organisations involved in producing diet sheets for people with Diabetes Mellitus. The article also gives information on how to obtain such publications.

This paper explores intensive self‐management of type 1 diabetes with insulin pump therapy as an enabling technology and reports barriers in the communication process with health professionals providing diabetes care who are unfamiliar with this treatment. Questionnaire responses and telephone interviews from a study conducted with 78 people using pump therapy in 2006 showed that individuals attending diabetes centres that were not pump‐trained suffered poor communication and a lack of support for intensive diabetes self‐management. As a result, some pump users did not visit their diabetes centre for care and management of the condition, preferring to communicate with the pump manufacturer and a national insulin pump therapy support organisation because they were familiar with the treatment. Nonetheless, all pump users had a strong sense of self‐efficacy concerning their mastery of the treatment technology to prevent, delay or stabilise the chronic complications of type 1 diabetes. Conclusions are linked to the Insulin Pump Services Report (Department of Health, 2007) and specific guidance on the use of pump therapy with patients by trained health professionals.

India has over half a million diabetics, with many others at risk. The Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) is a simple and validated tool used for mass screening of diabetes mellitus type 2 at the community level. This study assessed the vulnerability of developing diabetes in adults of a rural community of West Bengal using the IDRS and finds out the relationship of the risk of developing diabetes with socioclinical variables.

Multi-stage sampling was employed to select one eligible nondiabetic adult from selected families residing in the rural field practice area of a medical college in West Bengal. They were interviewed with a predesigned and pretested data collection schedule and examined.

Among 197 participants, 83.8% were female, 51.8% were illiterate and 57.4% came from Class IV of Prasad's socioeconomic scale. Of participants, 22.8% had existing known morbidities, and 23.9% had some form of substance addiction. In total, 46.8% of the participants on whom the IDRS could be applied (n = 175) were at high risk of developing diabetes (Score = 60). Gender and existing comorbidities significantly predicted a high risk of diabetes.

A large proportion of the Indian population yet to be diagnosed with diabetes are at a high risk of having the disease. Early detection of the disease can help curtail its complications and reduce its clinical, social and economic burden. Mass screening tools like the IDRS thus become a very important tool in India's attempts to fight diabetes.