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Attitudes of internal medicine physicians toward type 2 diabetes
Leonard E Egede1, Yvonne Michel
1Department of Biometry ac Epidemiology and College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
Background:
This study was designed to identify differences among internists in their attitudes about diabetes and how those attitudes influence practice behavior.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 55 internists in an academic medical center was done using the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3), a valid and reliable measure of attitudes toward diabetes.
Results:
Most respondents were white (89%), male (65%), and < or = 40 years old (85%). On the need for special training, internists were significantly different from the standardized norm for the DAS-3. Similar differences were observed on the seriousness of type 2 diabetes, the value attached to "tight control," and patient autonomy. Differences by age, sex, and level of training were not significant.
Conclusion:
Regardless of age, sex, or level of training, internal medicine physicians have negative attitudes toward type 2 diabetes that require future educational interventions.