Disease perception and experience in people with diabetic retinopathy: A qualitative study.
Chunmei Fan, Yuzhao Liu, Baosha Huai and 6 others
PMID 36377550WHAT IT FOUND
People with diabetic retinopathy described not knowing diabetes could damage eyes, distrust of local hospitals, stigma, despair and suicidal thoughts.
Nurses should ask about these experiences, not just eye status.
Key findings
01Participants often thought vision problems would improve without treatment and delayed seeking care.
02Participants described practical restrictions, social isolation, stigma, loss of meaning and catastrophic fear of blindness.
03The diagnosis became a turning point for behaviour change and later self-adjustment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Convenience sampling may have overrepresented or underrepresented participants with certain characteristics. Most participants were older male patients, so findings may not apply to younger people. The study was done in a Chinese tertiary hospital, so experiences may differ in other settings. Qualitative interviews describe patient experience; they do not show that any nursing intervention improves outcomes.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the Shandong Society of Geriatrics Scientific and Technological Project. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse-led education or psychological support improves diabetic retinopathy outcomes. This study only described patients' experiences and did not test an intervention.