Jamaican patients' understanding of diabetes mellitus

Ambulant and hospitalized patients with diabetes mellitus were interviewed by two trained interviewers to obtain information about their knowledge of the illness and the communication they had received about it. Sixty to seventy per cent of patients claimed that no explanation about the illness was given to them at the time of diagnosis. This poor communication occurred in both public and private medical services. Fifty-seven per cent of the patients scored no more than the 50th percentile on the knowledge rating score, reflecting that patients' knowledge of the illness was in general poor. The hospitalized patients did learn about the illness while there, but still claimed that they learnt nothing. These data are examined in the context of the nature of the doctor-patient communication style and effect. Jamaican diabetic patients need to be better informed about their illness; despite short patient-physician contact time, an effort to explain the nature of the illness at the time of diagnosis would be worthwhile. This will need subsequent assessment and reinforcement by involving a team approach.