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| |  New Report Reveals Diabetes Patients Left in the Dark, Putting Their Physical and Emotional Wellbeing at Risk LONDON, UK -- July 18, 2006 -- The majority of the two million people diagnosed with diabetes1 in the UK are unaware of the dangers of not managing their condition properly, according to new research revealed today. A report, published jointly by Diabetes UK, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and Ask About Medicines, shows that one in five people with diabetes are suffering from preventable complications as a result of neglecting to take their medicines and half are depressed.2,3,4 The Diabetes Information Jigsaw report found that there are significant missing pieces of information for patients about their diabetes. In particular, more than a third of people with diabetes are unaware that they will have the condition for life and half don't know that diabetes can reduce their life expectancy.5 Furthermore, 32% don't realise heart disease is a common complication of diabetes and almost one in five (18%) don't know that not managing their condition could result in amputations.2 Additionally, over 60% of pregnant women with diabetes do not realise that stillbirth is a possible outcome of not managing their condition during pregnancy, or that their baby could be born with congenital malformations such as a heart defect or breathing problems.2 Partly as a result of this missing information, nearly two thirds (65%) of people with diabetes are not taking their medications as prescribed, and one in three people don't understand what their diabetes medications are for or how to take them because they feel stupid asking questions. Over half (57%) find it difficult to ask questions because they feel there is not enough time during the consultation to answer all their queries or their doctor seems too busy. Perhaps most worryingly a quarter (25%) don't understand what their medicines are for or how to take them because despite having asked, they don't feel their doctor or nurse sees the benefit in informing them.2 The report which was presented on July 17th to the UK Department of Health by Adrian Sanders MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diabetes, calls on healthcare professionals to signpost people with diabetes to the most appropriate sources of information, as well as encouraging them to ask questions. Launching the campaign Simon O'Neill, Director of Care and Policy at Diabetes UK commented, "Short termism is a great enemy of good diabetes care. As this research shows, many people struggle to realise the importance of taking their medicines, especially if the consequences are not immediately apparent despite the fact that damage caused by not taking their medicines is irreparable. Good diabetes management could be seen to be similar to a pension plan - invest now to gain benefits in the future as in both situations there is no going back." The Diabetes Information Jigsaw survey also revealed that 60% of people with diabetes don't know as much as they would like about their treatment options. One reason for their confusion is that they have a poor understanding of medical terms and phrases commonly used in consultations, with nearly a fifth (18%) not understanding as much as they would like about their treatments because they can't understand what their doctor or nurse is telling them. To make matters worse over a third (36%) don't even know what questions to ask about their treatment options. Joanne Shaw, Chair of Ask About Medicines, says, "It's vital that people with diabetes are encouraged and empowered to ask questions, as patients who have a good knowledge of their treatment options are better equipped to make informed decisions about medicines and other treatments." Richard Tiner, Medical Director, ABPI added, "This report shows that there is no substitute for a good, open relationship between diabetes patients and healthcare professionals who can help them find the pieces they need to complete the diabetes information jigsaw. We hope it will serve as a call to action to healthcare professionals to experiment with information prescriptions for their patients and encourage them to ask questions about their condition and treatment."
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SOURCE: The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
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