Patients’ perception of disease and experience with type 2 diabetes patient education in Denmark

Exploring Why Cancer Patients Engage Into Medical Education

Background and Objectives Patients are recruited to act as educators, sharing experiences of their illness to facilitate active student learning. At our institution, cancer patient educators have been recruited to participate in a weekly teaching session for students. Our study was designed to assess the benefits that partaking in medical education confers on patients who were treated for cancer, as well as explore their motivations for becoming educators and how we can improve their experiences in the future. Methodology Our study used a qualitative exploratory research design, with four current patient educators being selected to participate. The interviews were conducted virtually and were designed to allow patients the opportunity to provide a rich narrative of their experiences. Their accounts were transcribed using built-in transcription software and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). IPA is an in-depth analytical method used to identify common themes between patients' experiences and explore why these themes exist. Results Four superordinate themes, each with its subthemes were identified following analysis of patient transcripts: the perceived success of the session (relationship between patient educator and facilitator, willingness of students to participate, organisation and planning of the session), motivations for becoming a patient educator (wanting to give something back, personal attributes making them suitable for the role and improving experiences of future patients), perceived benefits of engaging in medical education (improvement in mental health and engaging with medical students) and suggested improvements for the session (logistics and recruitment).  Conclusions Being a cancer patient educator offers significant benefits for patients' well-being, particularly in mental health. Cancer patient educators are motivated by the need to give something back to the staff and institution where they were treated. The educators also referred to improving care for future patients by educating students about negative experiences they encountered and how these could have been avoided. Finally, educators suggested improvements for future sessions by addressing the length of the sessions and having a formal recruitment process.

What are the self-management experiences of the elderly with diabetes? A systematic review of qualitative research

BACKGROUND

The number of elderly individuals with diabetes is dramatically increasing. Diabetes is a long-term condition and a noncommunicable disease and requires intensive daily self-management. Understanding of self-management from the patients’ perspectives is important to nurses, healthcare providers, and researchers and benefits people by improving their self-management skills.

AIM

To examine and synthesize qualitative studies that explore the experiences of elderly people in self-managing diabetes.

METHODS

Electronic databases were searched, including MEDLINE, CINAH, PsycINFO, PubMed, CNKI, and WANFADATA. Relevant research was identified by manually searching reference lists and gray literature. Only English and Chinese publications were included. The Critical Appraisal Skills Program was used to assess the quality of the research. The Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research approach was used to assess the confidence of the findings.

RESULTS

A total of 10 qualitative studies were included, and content analysis was performed. Five themes were identified: The need for knowledge about diabetes care, support systems, functional decline, attitudes toward diabetes, and healthy lifestyle challenges.

CONCLUSION

This present review provides a deep and broad understanding of the experiences in the self-management of diabetes and can be valuable to nursing practice and provide recommendations for future research.

"An Expanded Window of Understanding a Changed Everyday Life"-Experiences From Patients With Long-Term Conditions After Attending Group Learning Sessions

Objective

Health education programs using group learning sessions for patients with long-term conditions have been tested, but not evaluated. In order to evaluate such sessions, the purpose was to explore experiences from patients with long-term conditions after participating in group learning sessions.

Methods

A descriptive design based on qualitative content analysis was used. Interviews were conducted with 19 patients with different long-term conditions, and participants were asked about their experiences after taking part in the group learning sessions.

Results

Sharing experiences with one another gave them opportunities for learning. Patients described a metaphorical "expanded window," which opens in the group learning sessions; comparable to encounters during regular visits to health care providers. The nature of the learning environment that follows the educational model, together with describing lived experiences, allowed patients to share capability and resources, which was found to be foundational.

Conclusions

The health education program as a format was important for shared learning. The facilitator can support the learning by structuring the format, but most essential was sharing experiences that facilitated each patient's learning that can aid the support of individual self-management.

To take charge of one's life - group-based education for patients with type 2 diabetes in primary care - a lifeworld approach

Background: The number of people suffering from diabetes worldwide, including Sweden, has increased. To strengthen the patient's empowerment and thus improve their ability to take care of their own health, patient education in self-care management plays a central role in diabetes care.Purpose: The specific aim in this study was to describe patients' experiences of group-based education using the Taking charge of one's life with type 2 diabetes model.Methods: A qualitative approach with a phenomenological lifeworld perspective was used. The study was based on group and individual interviews and reflection books.Results: The group-based education model made it possible for the patients to learn through reflection concerning their own and others' experiences. The learning that occurred with support from the group reflections and the reflection books contributed to the understanding of the complexity of the illness. This increased the motivation and desire to be responsible for the treatment and implementation of habits. The group contributed to a sense of belonging and community that inspired a continued and active learning.Conclusion: The results showed that from the patients' perspective, this didactic model was both suitable and appreciated, supporting and facilitating learning.

Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management Barriers in Older Adults: An Integrative Review of the Qualitative Literature

Type 2 diabetes is a prevalent chronic health condition more frequently affecting adults ages 65 and older. Furthermore, these individuals tend to have more type 2 diabetes-associated complications, compared with younger individuals with diabetes, and face unique challenges throughout the self-management process. Despite many studies and reviews about diabetes self-management, few researchers focus specifically on older adults. Of particular importance is the need to understand self-management challenges through the patient's lens. Therefore, the purpose of the current review is to examine and summarize the qualitative literature concerning type 2 diabetes self-management barriers in older adults. Following critical appraisal of literature published from 2007-2018, 10 articles were reviewed and content analysis performed. Four themes emerged: Lack of Knowledge and Understanding, Self-Management Implementation Challenges, Culture and Language Barriers, and Health Care Providers as a Perceived Barrier. The state of the qualitative science, implications for nursing practice, and recommendations for future research are discussed. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 45(3), 43-54.].