A little care goes a long way

Adapted from Annals of Family Medicine 2019 doi:10.1370/afm.2421

People diagnosed by their GP with type two diabetes had a 40-50% lower mortality rate over the next ten years if they experienced their GP and practice nurses as empathetic during the year after diagnosis, compared to those who considered that their primary health carers had low empathy.

This study looked at 879 patients recruited from 49 GP practices in the east of England.

My comment: The first year is when patients get their head round the fact that they have a long term condition that could affect how long they will live and the quality of the life they have left. At diagnosis many are willing to look at lifestyle changes. Encouraging them, helping them, and helping them set appropriate goals makes a good difference to a person’s ability to change their daily routines. If you are newly diagnosed and don’t get on with your health care providers for any reason, then maybe a change of provider makes sense in the light of this research.