DO DOCTORS ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF PATIENTS WITH DIABETES

Diabetes has an impact on people at both a biomedical and a holistic l evel. Furthermore there is a legitimate and substantial 'medical agend a' which doctors must address. But does this mean that they fail to de al with the concerns of their patients? A questionnaire study of diabe tic patients attending the Manchester Diabetes Centre found that not a ll the patients' concerns were addressed in 25.5 % of consultations. 2 20 (98 %) patients were recruited from 225 approached. Not surprisingl y, those who expressed three or more concerns were significantly less likely to have all their concerns addressed compared with those who ha d only one or two concerns (p = 0.001). The probability of having an i ndividual concern addressed was 0.82. It was also found that Black-Car ibbeans were significantly less likely to have their concerns addresse d than Whites especially if they were over 60 years old (p = 0.03). Th is study concludes that doctors should be particularly aware of the ne eds of patients who express many concerns, and especially if they are Black-Caribbeans. Further research should develop strategies for impro ving the ability of doctors to identify and address the concerns of th eir patients.