Utilisation of multidisciplinary services for diabetes care in the rural setting

Abstract

Rates of allied health service utilisation were not significantly lower than urban rates; however, there is room for increased uptake of multidisciplinary services. Patients who do not access these services may expect their GP to fulfil multiple roles within a limited number of visits and may not understand the role of other practitioners. Where allied health services are available locally, utilisation may be improved by increasing use of management plans and fostering awareness of the role of allied health practitioners in diabetes management.

2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support

“…Individuals' barriers may include socioeconomic or cultural factors, participant schedules, health insurance shortfalls, perceived lack of need, and limited encouragement from other health care practitioners to engage in DSMES (15,(64)(65)(66)(67)(68).…”

2017 National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support

“…It is essential to identify the barriers that prevent access to DSMES during the assessment process ( 61 – 63 ). Individuals’ barriers may include socioeconomic or cultural factors, participant schedules, health insurance shortfalls, perceived lack of need, and limited encouragement from other health care practitioners to engage in DSMES ( 15 , 64 – 68 ).…”

How does the utilization of diabetes dietitian and educator service in Saudi Arabia affect glycemic outcomes?

“…There are only limited data on the use of allied health services by individuals with diabetes in general[ 10 11 ] and none from Saudi Arabia, although one historical study from the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia reported that there were no diabetes dietitian or educator services in 2004. [ 12 ] Only 20% of patients reported seeing a dietitian in the current study, which compares favorably with a US sample of over 18,000 patients, only 9.1% of whom reported seeing a dietitian at least once after diagnosis.…”

“…In a rural setting in Australia, with presumed limited accessible and affordable services, 21.4% of diabetes patients had seen a dietitian and 40.2% a diabetes educator in the preceding year alone, and so their utilization of diabetes dietitian services over the entire course of their disease was likely to be much higher. [ 10 ] In both the rural and urban settings, a lack of awareness of the availability of these services by patients and providers was partly responsible for the lack of utilization of the service. [ 9 10 ] However, in the rural setting, nonreferral (35%–44%) and the lack of perceived need (40%–49%) also contributed to over a third of nonutilization of service;[ 10 ] only about 12% of this rural population were concerned about affordability, availability, and accessibility.…”

“…[ 10 ] In both the rural and urban settings, a lack of awareness of the availability of these services by patients and providers was partly responsible for the lack of utilization of the service. [ 9 10 ] However, in the rural setting, nonreferral (35%–44%) and the lack of perceived need (40%–49%) also contributed to over a third of nonutilization of service;[ 10 ] only about 12% of this rural population were concerned about affordability, availability, and accessibility. It is not immediately clear that why there was suboptimal use or a complete lack of the use of diabetic service by a significant proportion of the patients in the current study, especially when the services are offered without charge as part of the provision of public health service.…”