Relationship between patient satisfactions with diabetes care and treatment

Background: Measurement of treatment satisfaction in diabetes is important as it has been shown to be associated with positive outcomes, reduced disease cost and better health.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between treatment satisfaction of diabetes patients and socioeconomic, clinical, medication adherence and health‑related factors in Qatar.Design: This is a cross‑sectional study.Setting: The survey was carried out in primary health care centers and hospitals from April 2010 to May 2011.Subjects: Of a total of 3000 diabetic patients, 2582 patients gave their consent to take part in the study, with a response rate of 86.1%.Materials and Methods: The Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire was used to measure the patient satisfaction. The modified Morisky  Medication Adherence was used to measure medication taking behavior. A multivariate stepwise linear regression model was performed to identify factors independently associated with patients’ satisfaction instrument.Results: Of the studied patients, majority of the diabetes patients were Qataris (61.2%), married (86.1%), above secondary education (46.9%) and unemployed (28.6%). Diabetes patients who had professional jobs (3.97 ± 0.65; P = 0.009) and those who were staying alone had a significantly higher treatment satisfaction score (4.01 ± 0.64; P = 0.001) compared with the other patients. Patients who were taking tablets were significantly more satisfied with treatment (4.08 ± 0.60; P < 0.001). Diabetes patients of primary health care centers (3.96 vs. 3.80; P < 0.001) were more satisfied with treatment than patients visiting hospitals. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that age of the patient (P < 0.001), expatriates (P = 0.023), patients visiting hospitals (P < 0.001), treatment with insulin (P < 0.001) and any diabetes complications (P < 0.001) were significantly less satisfied with the treatment.Conclusion: The study findings revealed that patient satisfaction was positively associated with sociodemographic variables like high income, employment, married individuals and those with higher levels of education. We found a lower treatment satisfaction in patients with diabetes‑related complications and insulin treatment.Key words: Diabetes care, DTSQ, health status, patient satisfaction, quality of life, treatment adherenc

Epidemiological impact of public health interventions against diabetes in Qatar: mathematical modeling analyses.

AIMS: To predict the epidemiological impact of specific, and primarily structural public health interventions that address lifestyle, dietary, and commuting behaviors of Qataris as well as subsidies and legislation to reduce type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) burden among Qataris. METHODS: A deterministic population-based mathematical model was used to investigate the impact of public health interventions on the epidemiology of T2DM among Qataris aged 20-79 years, which is the age range typically used by the International Diabetes Federation for adults. The study evaluated the impact of interventions up to 2050, a three-decade time horizon, to allow for the long-term effects of different types of interventions to materialize. The impact of each intervention was evaluated by comparing the predicted T2DM incidence and prevalence with the intervention to a counterfactual scenario without intervention. The model was parameterized using representative data and stratified by sex, age, T2DM risk factors, T2DM status, and intervention status. RESULTS: All intervention scenarios had an appreciable impact on reducing T2DM incidence and prevalence. A lifestyle management intervention approach, specifically applied to those who are categorized as obese and ≥35 years old, averted 9.5% of new T2DM cases by 2050. An active commuting intervention approach, specifically increasing cycling and walking, averted 8.5% of new T2DM cases by 2050. Enhancing consumption of healthy diets including fruits and vegetables, specifically a workplace intervention involving dietary modifications and an educational intervention, averted 23.2% of new T2DM cases by 2050. A subsidy and legislative intervention approach, implementing subsidies on fruits and vegetables and taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages, averted 7.4% of new T2DM cases by 2050. A least to most optimistic combination of interventions averted 22.8-46.9% of new T2DM cases by 2050, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a combination of individual-level and structural public health interventions is critical to prevent T2DM onset and to slow the growing T2DM epidemic in Qatar