Eating out, lack of social support and high-risk lifestyles are just some of the barriers that stop patients with type 2 diabetes from controlling their condition, according to a research review that covered 8,900 patients and 4,550 healthcare providers from 28 countries.
The study, published in the March issue of the Journal of Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness , shows that psychosocial, socioeconomic, physical, environmental and cultural factors can provide major barriers to effective care.
Researchers from Hong Kong and Northern Ireland studied research carried out between 1986 and 2007 to try and identify how treatment regimes could be improved. Their findings have enabled them to come up with a three-point plan for nurses involved in diabetes care.
"Diabetes is a chronic condition and patients need to modify their lifestyle on a long-term basis to cope with it" says Sandra Pun from the School of Nursing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
"According to the World Health Organization, up to 380 million people worldwide will suffer from diabetes by 2025 so it is important to identify and tackle any barriers that prevent people from making those changes."
Major barriers identified by the review included: