RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Physicians’ Perceptions of Barriers to Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Control among Patients with Diabetes: Results from the Translating Research into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) Study
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 171
OP 178
DO 10.3122/jabfm.2010.02.090125
VO 23
IS 2
A1 Jesse C. Crosson
A1 Michele Heisler
A1 Usha Subramanian
A1 Bix Swain
A1 Gabrielle J. Davis
A1 Norman Lasser
A1 Sonja Ross
A1 Julie A. Schmittdiel
A1 Kingsley Onyemere
A1 Chien-Wen Tseng
YR 2010
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/23/2/171.abstract
AB Introduction: Many patients with diabetes have poorly controlled blood glucose, lipid, or blood pressure levels, increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other complications. Relatively little is known about what physicians perceive to be barriers to good CVD risk factor control or their own role in helping patients achieve good control.Methods: We interviewed 34 primary care physicians in 4 states to assess their perceptions of patients’ barriers to CVD risk factor control. Interviews were coded and analyzed for emergent themes.Results: Physicians attributed barriers primarily to patients (socioeconomic issues, competing medical conditions, and lack of motivation) or to health system barriers (cost of care or lack of a multidisciplinary team). Physicians also expressed high levels of frustration with their efforts to address barriers.Conclusions: Physicians felt that barriers to CVD risk factor control often were beyond their abilities to address. Training physicians or other members of the primary health care team to address patients’ personal barriers and health system barriers to good control could help alleviate high frustration levels, improve relationships with patients, and improve the treatment of diabetes. Supporting such efforts with adequate reimbursement should be a focus of health care reform.