Portraits of patient cognition: how patients understand diabetes self-care

Diabetes self-management is a complex dynamic process. Although patients are given guidelines for self-care, many still struggle with glucose control. This study uses techniques from naturalistic decision-making research to examine how patients with low, moderate, and good glycemic control conceptualize self-care. Eighteen people with type 2 diabetes were interviewed about their experiences with diabetes, understanding of the disease, and self-care behaviour. Qualitative methods were used to analyze responses and describe patterns of cognition. The authors describe participants' understanding of major areas of self-care and its relationship to self-management. The majority of participants failed to adequately understand the disease, typically because they were overwhelmed by or misunderstood rule-based instructions. Understanding of the dynamics underlying glucose regulation was found to be critical for effective self-management. Diabetes educators need to teach patients about the dynamics underlying self-management and to emphasize problem-solving and decision-making skills.