Supporting young people with type 1 diabetes: experiences from healthcare professionals in Sweden

Background Healthcare professionals in paediatric care face great demands to provide high-quality acute care and support for young people with long-term illnesses, such as type 1 diabetes. This study aims to describe healthcare professionals' experiences of supporting young people with type 1 diabetes in order to improve care. Methods A qualitative research design was used to conduct individual interviews with seven healthcare professionals. The interview transcripts were subjected to inductive qualitative thematic content analysis. Results Four themes were identified: strengthening young people's motivation, sharing knowledge for better support, the imbalance between resources and needs and the transition of responsibility to the young person and their family. Conclusions Healthcare professionals described motivating young people to improve their metabolic control by using a person-centred approach. Working in a team strengthened cross-professional perspectives, competence and understanding of young people's support needs and developed diabetes care. The transition of responsibility from healthcare to families and young people was important in improving glycemic control. The increased imbalance in resources and support needs in diabetes care must be addressed at a societal level and adapted according to today's needs.

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Improving Diabetes Care for Young People With Type 1 Diabetes Through Visual Learning on Mobile Phones: Mixed-Methods Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/jmir.2155 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. e111 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Dag Helge Frøisland ◽

Eirik Årsand ◽

Finn Skårderud

Keyword(s):

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Young People ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Diabetes Care ◽

Visual Learning ◽

Mixed Methods Study

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Managing type 1 diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic is a team effort: a qualitative study of the experiences of young people and their parents

Integrated Healthcare Journal ◽

10.1136/ihj-2021-000082 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. e000082

Author(s):

Anne Parkinson ◽

Nicola Brew-Sam ◽

Sally Hall Dykgraaf ◽

Christopher Nolan ◽

Antony Lafferty ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Young People ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Healthcare Team ◽

Free Access ◽

Haemoglobin A1c ◽

Face To Face ◽

Support Team ◽

Contact Free

ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and their parents in accessing integrated family-centred care in the Australian Capital Territory during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and analysisThis is a pragmatic, qualitative descriptive study for which we conducted semistructured interviews with 11 young people with T1DM aged 12–16 years and 10 of their parents who attended an outpatient diabetes service in Canberra, Australia. Thematic analysis was conducted in accordance with the methods outlined by Braun and Clarke.ResultsThree themes were identified: feeling vulnerable, new ways of accessing care and trust in the interdisciplinary diabetes healthcare team. Participants believed having T1DM made them more vulnerable to poor outcomes if they contracted COVID-19, resulting in avoidance of face-to-face care. Telephone consultations offered a convenient and contact-free way to undertake 3-monthly reviews. The greatest difference between telephone and face-to-face consultations was not having access to the whole interdisciplinary diabetes support team at one appointment, physical examination and haemoglobin A1c testing during telehealth consultations. Participants trusted that clinicians would arrange face-to-face meetings if required. Some felt a video option might be better than telephone, reflecting in part the need for more training in communication skills for remote consultations.ConclusionYoung people with T1DM and their parents require collaborative care and contact with multiple healthcare professionals to facilitate self-management and glycaemic control. While telephone consultations offered convenient, safe, contact-free access to healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the added value of video consultations and facilitating access to the whole interdisciplinary diabetes support team need to be considered in future clinical implementation of telehealth.

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