Supporting patients with diabetes' disease management through improved presentations of test results: A qualitative study
Author
Schubert, Katrine Hiort
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-06-07
Pages
56
Abstract
Digital health services (e-health) can strengthen patient involvement in the Danish healthcare system. All adult citizens can access their own health data, but it is often shown the same way it is for healthcare professionals, which can be hard to understand. This study explores how people with diabetes find and interpret their lab results. The aim is to propose design concepts based on patient experiences to inform how lab results are presented in the future. The study is based on seven semi-structured qualitative interviews with patients with diabetes at a small regional hospital in Denmark. The interviews included a sketching exercise to reveal participants’ needs. Using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach—focusing on lived experience and interpretation—the analysis produced six themes, interpreted through the READHY model. The findings indicate a need for more customizable displays of lab results that support individual needs. Participants especially want easier identification of specific values through visual cues and simpler wording. Both this study and prior literature note that patients often feel negative emotions when checking test results; better tools for confident interpretation may help reduce this.
Digitale sundhedstjenester (e-sundhed) kan styrke patienters inddragelse i det danske sundhedsvæsen. Alle voksne borgere har adgang til egne sundhedsdata, men de vises ofte på samme måde som for sundhedspersonale, hvilket kan være svært at forstå. Dette studie undersøger, hvordan personer med diabetes oplever at finde og tolke deres laboratoriesvar. Formålet er at udvikle designideer, der tager afsæt i patienternes erfaringer og kan inspirere fremtidig præsentation af laboratoriesvar. Empirien bygger på syv semistrukturerede kvalitative interviews med patienter med diabetes på et mindre regionalt hospital i Danmark. Interviewene omfattede en skitseøvelse, der gav indblik i deltagernes behov. Analysen fulgte en fænomenologisk-hermeneutisk tilgang, som fokuserer på oplevelser og fortolkning, og mundede ud i seks temaer, der blev forstået i lyset af READHY-modellen. Resultaterne peger på behov for mere tilpasselige visninger af laboratoriesvar, så den enkelte patients behov understøttes. Deltagerne efterlyser især lettere genkendelse af udvalgte værdier via visuelle markeringer og enklere sprog. Både dette studie og eksisterende litteratur viser, at patienter kan opleve negative følelser, når de tjekker prøvesvar; bedre værktøjer til sikker tolkning kan muligvis mindske dette.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]