Relationship between Initial Psychological Response To Diagnosis Of Diabetes Mellitus And Its Impact On Subsequent Management.
2830-2836
Correspondence
Dr Harleen Kaur
213, Master Tara Singh Nagar
Jalandhar
Ph No: 09814651884
Email: vinty_10@hotmail.com
Introduction: This study is designed to test the hypothesis that a relationship exists between emotional reaction to diagnosis and the subsequent adherence to diet and exercise regimen, and to correlate the responses of subjects with factors like knowledge about diabetes and education status.
Material and methods: 100 randomly selected established cases of type 2 diabetes patients attending the diabetes clinic at MMIMS Hospital were interviewed with a questionnaire designed to elicit the reaction to diagnosis and adherence to the diet and exercise regimen among them. Responses were analyzed after content analysis to achieve the objectives. Chi‐square test was applied to determine statistical significance.
Results: It was found that the patients with positive feelings at the time of diagnosis were better adherent to exercise regimen than those with negative feelings. The difference in adherence to dietary plan, however, wasn’t found significant. Also, males were adherent to exercise than females. The patients who were fully explained about diabetes by physician showed better adherence to exercise than those who were not.
Conclusions: It can be safely concluded that patients with negative feelings and less knowledge about diabetes at the time of diagnosis show poor adherence to self‐management regimen. The physicians need to understand the emotional state of the patients at the time of diagnosis and provide them sufficient information about the condition for better response to the prescribed self management plans.