Abstract

At the moment of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) diagnosis communication, adult patients experience disorientation, fear and uncertainty in front of permanent, adverse changes in their habits before considering insulin as a powerful tool to control disease, improve quality of life, and prevent severe complications. Indeed, an adequate series of services is required to grant not only medical but also humanistic assistance aimed to interpret persons’ needs and whish. This survey had 146 people with T1DM consecutively referring to the outpatient wards of a Diabetes Consortium in Italy complete a a self-administered questionnaire to examine some crucial moments experienced by at the time of diagnosis, during the educational process, and when feeling the voice tone of the professionals revolving around the treatment process while sending out their messages. A merciless picture emerged from the questionnaires, being most participants unsatisfied with the healthcare team approach, which they judged too technical and less prone to effective education. A missing point was especially helpful training on practical aspects of diabetes treatment, especially regarding appropriate insulin injections technique and the severe long term disease consequences complications deriving from poor compliance to them. Much remains to be done to improve the daily clinical, social, and personal conditions of persons with T1DM as pursuing the goal of euglycemia when treating diabetes involves a whole, complex process, including a series of actions aimed at supporting PwD in improving their interpersonal relationships, understanding their individual needs, and breaking down the barriers raised by old-fashioned, outdated professional attitudes.

Keywords

Type 1 diabetes, education, depression, diabetes care, nurses