Aims: To elicit the barriers and motivators to better diabetes self care in patients with Type 1 diabetes.
Methods: We obtained a purposive sample of 47 patients with Type 1 diabetes and persistent suboptimal glycaemic control from a randomized controlled trial of nurse-delivered psychological interventions. Each participant's second session of motivational interviewing was analysed using content analysis.
Results: Four major themes emerged: emotions of living with Type 1 diabetes, perceived barriers to diabetes management, motivators for change and methods of coping. Increased assistance and support from family and healthcare teams, the prospect of improved emotional and physical well-being and feelings of success were described as factors that might motivate participants to practice more effective self care.
Conclusions: An enhanced awareness of the range of psychological concepts in diabetes may enable a better therapeutic relationship between clinicians and patients.
© 2011 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2011 Diabetes UK.