Beyond the Sick Role: The Many Roles of Adults With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes in the Management of Hypoglycemia-The InHypo-DM Study, Canada

'Didn't See the Need': Misperceptions about glucagon from the perspectives of people with diabetes and their caregivers

AIMS

Severe hypoglycaemia among people with diabetes who use insulin can be a life-threatening complication if left untreated. Although glucagon has been approved for treatment of hypoglycaemia since the 1960s, it has been underutilized. We aimed to understand the perceptions of people with diabetes and their caregivers about glucagon.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth, one-on-one telephone interviews with people with diabetes and their caregivers in the United States. The interviews included questions around general awareness of glucagon, reasons for owning or not owning glucagon, and suggestions for improving understanding of glucagon as treatment for severe hypoglycaemia. Initial synopsis and inductive codebook schema were used to analyse the responses by two independent researchers. Themes were developed from the codes, and codes were re-mapped back to the themes.

RESULTS

There were 60 dyads of people with diabetes and their caregivers (N = 120). Four themes developed from the interviews: (1) for most participants, the stated reasons for not owning or renewing a prescription for glucagon included unawareness of the medication, its advantages and its value; (2) misperceptions about glucagon occurred frequently; (3) caregivers often lacked confidence in administering reconstituted injectable glucagon; and (4) education and training from healthcare providers about glucagon would be welcomed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasizes the need for healthcare providers to discuss hypoglycaemia prevention and events at each clinical visit, including the use of glucagon in the case of severe hypoglycaemia. Healthcare providers are encouraged to assess the knowledge of people with diabetes and their caregivers regarding treatment and prevention of hypoglycaemia.

The experience of a severe hypoglycaemic event from the perspective of people with diabetes and their caregivers: "What am I going to do?"

AIMS

Among people with diabetes using insulin, severe hypoglycaemia (SH) can be a life-threatening complication, if untreated. The personal experiences during an SH event from the perspectives of people with diabetes and their caregivers are not well-characterized. This study assessed the perceptions of the event and the decision making processes of people with diabetes (T1D n = 36; T2D n = 24) and their caregivers during SH events.

METHODS

In-depth one-on-one telephone interviews were conducted with dyads of people with diabetes and caregivers in the United States (n = 120). An initial synopsis and inductive codebook schema were used to analyse the data with two independent coders (kappa = 0.87-0.89). Themes were developed from the codes, and codes were re-mapped to the themes.

RESULTS

Four themes were formed: (1) Caregivers scramble to do the right thing and support people with diabetes in treating SH; (2) Decision making capacity is impaired during an SH event, often a panicked time; (3) People learn to manage SH events through their own experiences and frequently make lifestyle changes to prevent and treat future events; and (4) Discussion with healthcare providers about SH, and particularly SH treatment, is limited.

CONCLUSIONS

SH events are stressful and often evoke emotional reactions that can impair decision making. Thus, advance treatment planning of SH events needs to occur. Much of the knowledge about SH treatment derives from prior experience rather than healthcare provider guidance, suggesting a need for healthcare providers to initiate proactive discussions about SH treatment.

Feasibility study of real-time online text-based CBT to support self-management for people with type 1 diabetes: the Diabetes On-line Therapy (DOT) Study

INTRODUCTION

This study examines the feasibility of conducting diabetes-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) via a secure online real-time instant messaging system intervention to support self-management and improve glycemic control in people with type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We used a pre-post uncontrolled intervention design over 12 months. We recruited adults with type 1 diabetes and suboptimal glycemic control (HbA1c ≥69 mmol/mol (DCCT 8.5%) for 12 months) across four hospitals in London. The intervention comprised 10 sessions of diabetes-focused CBT delivered by diabetes specialist nurses. The primary outcomes were number of eligible patients, rates of recruitment and follow-up, number of sessions completed and SD of the main outcome measure, change in HbA1c over 12 months. We measured the feasibility of collecting secondary outcomes, that is, depression measured using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), anxiety measured Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS).

RESULTS

We screened 3177 patients, of whom 638 were potentially eligible, from whom 71 (11.1%) were recruited. The mean age was 28.1 (13.1) years, and the mean HbA1c was 84.6 mmol/mol (17.8), DCCT 9.9%. Forty-six (65%) patients had at least 1 session and 29 (41%) completed all sessions. There was a significant reduction in HbA1c over 12 months (mean difference -6.2 (2.3) mmol/mol, DCCT 0.6%, p=0.038). The change scores in PHQ-9, GAD and DDS also improved.

CONCLUSIONS

It would be feasible to conduct a full-scale text-based synchronized real-time diabetes-focused CBT as an efficacy randomized controlled trial.