Understanding the diagnosis of pre-diabetes in patients aged over 85 in English primary care: A qualitative study

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: The benefit of a "diagnosis" of pre-diabetes in very elderly patients is debated. How clinicians manage pre-diabetic blood results in these patients is unknown. This study aims to understand how clinicians are "diagnosing" older patients with pre-diabetic blood parameters. Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with health care staff (24 total participants) were conducted in the north of England. Interviews and focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. A grounded theory approach was taken with the theory of candidacy being used as a sensitising concept through which questions were framed and results interpreted. Results: There is a complex system of competing pressures that influence a clinician in deciding whether, and in what way, to inform a very elderly patient that they have pre-diabetes. The majority of clinicians adjust their management of pre-diabetes to the age and perceived risk/benefit for the patient. Whilst some clinicians choose not to inform certain patients of their blood results, many clinicians maintain, what could be seen as a somewhat paradoxical approach of labeling all older patients with pre-diabetes but downplaying the significance to the patient. The policy, organisational context, workload and professional constraints under which clinicians work, play a significant role in shaping how they deal with pre-diabetic blood results in the very elderly. Conclusion: There has been recent acknowledgement of how policy and organisational context frames decision-making, but there is a lack of evidence on how this influences uncertainty and dilemmas in decision-making in practice. These findings add further weight for the argument that treatment burden should be included in clinical guidelines.

Original languageEnglish
Article number90
JournalBMC Family Practice
Volume20
Issue number1
Early online date29 Jun 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Jun 2019

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Understanding the diagnosis of pre-diabetes in patients aged over 85 in English primary care: A qualitative study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this