Sailing single-handed: autonomy in the control of diabetes

Someone with diabetes is seldom entirely on his or her own as far as coping with the condition is concerned. The medical management of diabetes generally needs to be a shared enterprise in which the doctor and patient contribute different types of expertise. The outpatient clinic is a forum for exchange of information between doctor and patient, and for negotiations over the patient's degree of autonomy, with some doctors encouraging more autonomy, and some patients wanting more autonomy than others. Meeting other people with diabetes provides an opportunity for sharing experiential information, for giving and receiving support.