Family members and friends who take care of adults needing help managing diabetes are most likely to seek information from a physician, followed closely by the Internet, an online survey of 1,002 caregivers suggests.
The take-home message for physicians is that they are truly critical to caregivers' ability to help people manage their diabetes and they need to make conversations with caregivers a priority “no matter how little time they have,” said Paula Correa, director of the Hormone Foundation, which conducted the survey along with the National Alliance for Caregiving.
Eli Lilly & Co., which markets drugs for diabetes, funded the survey.
According to caregivers, patients struggle most with diet and exercise (listed by 54% of respondents), followed by the medical management of diabetes (49%).
The survey, conducted in April 2009, is the first of its kind to focus on the needs of unpaid caregivers of people with diabetes, as opposed to paid home care aides or workers in assisted living facilities, Ms. Correa added. The results, released last month, are available at www.hormone.org/Public/diabetes_caregiver.cfm
A total of 89% of respondents said they get diabetes care information from physicians. The Internet is a source of diabetes care information for 69% of respondents (see chart).
Frustration in trying to find reliable information on the Internet was reported by 63% of respondents. Frustration also was expressed by 49% from having to wade through commercial content on the Internet, and 37% said they get too many search results. Thirty-three percent had difficulty finding information on the Internet that was specific to their needs.
The Hormone Foundation, the public education affiliate of The Endocrine Society, indicated that it plans to incorporate the findings in the development of a new Web site, Diabetes Caregiver Central, to provide unpaid caregivers with the resources they need in a one-stop location. The site is slated to launch by the end of 2010.
Caregivers as a whole scored 74 out of a total score of 100 on a five-question quiz of diabetes knowledge, but they showed confusion about hemoglobin A1c goals. Only 40% could identify the recommended HbA1c levels, and 51% were unsure.
Only 25% said they felt “informed” about diabetes and its potential complications when they first started taking care of a person with diabetes.
In the areas of diet and exercise, 59% reported that the person with diabetes either cannot or will not exercise, and 50% said the person does not want to follow a healthy diet. Consistent maintenance of blood sugar levels at targets was a significant issue for 43%, and 43% reported episodes of hypoglycemia requiring immediate action. Respondents said the person with diabetes was depressed in 45% of cases, and 40% said the person experiences memory loss, confusion, or symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Forty-one percent said they were having great difficulty managing diabetes plus other medical problems, and 37% reported difficulty managing blood sugar levels and preventing hypoglycemia. Dealing with insurance forms and reimbursements was a difficult issue for 26%. Twenty percent of respondents said that it is very difficult “communicating with the physicians who treat my loved one's diabetes,” yet only 3% wanted more information on how to communicate with the physician or the loved one.
More information on diet and exercise issues was desired by 26% of respondents, 17% wanted more information on medical issues, 13% requested more information on medications, and 12% sought additional help understanding blood sugar management.
Source ELSEVIER GLOBAL MEDICAL NEWS