Patient Journeys and Proposed Contents for Communication Strategies to Reduce New Cases of Type 2 Diabetes of Thailand

Abstract

The objectives of this research study were to (1) examine the type 2 diabetes patient journeys and (2) synthesize recommendations on communication campaign contents to reduce the number of new type 2 diabetes patients. Two qualitative methodologies were applied in this study. First, 26 purposive samples from 8 provinces in different regions of Thailand were recruited for in-depth interviews. Second, focus group discussion was employed to collect data on the contents of the communication campaign. The results revealed that the type 2 diabetes patient journeys were divided into three stages. In the initial stage, the risk group exhibited habits that contributed to diabetes in terms of consumption and physical activity. The under 35-year-olds also lacked access to diabetes screening and had misconceptions about type 2 diabetes causing them less aware of the risk of developing the disease. The second stage was the beginning of treatment. Patients chose to come for screening after seeking advice from their family member, village health volunteer, the mass media, and after they themselves faced physical conditions interfering with their daily lives. The beliefs in high blood sugar findings and doctor’s advice were the driving force for seeking treatment. Additionally, patients started seeking more information on diabetes through various means. The third stage was to live with diabetes. Patients acknowledged having disease, yet often reported feeling stressed when they were unable to control their blood sugar levels or encountered diabetes-related problems. There were two main categories of content suggestions for developing communication strategies for lowering the number of new cases. The first was the hygiene content for regularly delivery, such as, food and drink risk behaviors, and physical exercise. The second was the hero content to increase awareness on dangerous complications of the disease.