Type 2 diabetes in general practice - a focus-group study

The National Diabetes Plan 2017-21 has implemented measures to improve diagnosis and follow-up of persons with type 2 diabetes by the primary health services. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and thoughts of Norwegian general practitioners (GPs) with regard to diagnosis and follow-up of this patient group.

In this qualitative study, three focus-group interviews were conducted with a total of 17 GPs. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using systematic text condensation.

The GPs reported having a busy daily schedule that rarely allowed for targeted identification of patients in the risk zone to be prioritised. They described a patient-centred diabetes care, in which motivating for lifestyle change was considered a necessary but demanding task. The doctors identified the need to find a balance between following the general clinical guidelines on the one hand and individually adapting the follow-up to each patient on the other. Furthermore, the participants reported being less updated on current medical knowledge than they wanted, due to time constraints.

The GPs in the study described a patient-centred diabetes care that was driven by clinical experience. The guidelines have an advisory, but not mandatory function. This approach enables personalised and adapted treatment, but could also be a contributory cause of the failure to provide sufficient follow-up as required by the national guidelines.