Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate which problems type 2 diabetes patients encounter in their everyday life and whether certain problems are of strong presence at the beginning of their diagnosis.
Method: 65 diabetes-related problems were identified through a literature review and then rewritten into 93 experiences with patient and expert involvement. An online data-gathering method was developed and used in a user study where 25 type 2 diabetes patients logged experiences over two months.
Results: The sample did mostly encounter positive experiences, and the two most dominant problems were food and exercise. No overall difference was found in probability for positive experiences between the newly diagnosed (N=11)
and the experienced (N=14) group (p=0.491, 95%CI[-0.057, 0.116]). The probability for positive experiences varied between different problem areas. The method was evaluated by interviewing four of the participants.
Conclusion: With the proposed improvements to the method it has the potential to enable more rapid identification of problem areas, and make type 2 diabetes patients reflect upon their experiences.