Physicians' perceptions of the type 2 diabetes multi-disciplinary treatment team: a qualitative study

The purpose of this study was to explore physicians' perceptions of the multidisciplinary type 2 diabetes treatment team.

Nineteen physicians (74% endocrinologists; 26% primary care) participated in semistructured interviews. Audiorecorded data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis and NVivo 8 software.

Physicians considered the multidisciplinary team, including a physician and diabetes educator, as very important to diabetes treatment. Participants described how diabetes, with its many comorbidities and challenging lifestyle recommendations, is difficult for any single physician to treat. They further described how the team's diverse staff offers complementary skills and more contact time for assessment and treatment of patients, developing treatment relationships, and supporting patients in learning diabetes self-care. Physicians stressed the necessity of regular and ongoing communication among team members to ensure patients receive consistent information, and some reported that institutional factors interfere with intra-team communication. They also expressed concerns about the team approach in relation to individualized treatment and patients' reluctance to see multiple providers.

This study highlights physicians' positive perceptions of and concerns about the type 2 diabetes multidisciplinary team. Further study of diabetes educators' and patients' perceptions of the team approach is needed.