New IntroDia™ Survey patient data are presented at American Diabetes Association’s^® (ADA) 75^th Scientific Sessions

IntroDia™ is an initiative of Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly in partnership with the International Diabetes Federation

INGELHEIM, Germany & INDIANAPOLIS, US--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New research shows that the quality of patient-physician communication, at the moment when additional oral type 2 diabetes (T2D) medication is prescribed (‘add-on’), is linked to future patient self-care and well-being. Data from the IntroDia™ Survey have quantitatively demonstrated this link in the largest international survey of its kind, using responses from 4,235 people with T2D across 26 countries.*

“My doctor invited me to ask questions about my new medication.”

The perceived quality of the ‘add-on’ conversation by patients was linked to all self-management outcomes surveyed. Patients who recalled better quality of communication when interacting with their physicians reported improved self-care and emotional well-being, including improved diabetes-related emotional distress, frequency of exercise and diet, as well as better medication adherence.

Dr Matthew Capehorn, UK, GP and member of the IntroDia™ Advisory Panel commented, “If not framed properly, the introduction of additional oral medication for type 2 diabetes management can be a challenging moment for patients. An encouraging conversation with a physician can make a real difference to subsequent self-management. We now have data that confirm how important the quality of communication is during this ‘add-on’ conversation.”

Analysis of the conversations indicated patients distinguish three types of physician statements that contribute to communication quality: ‘encouraging’, ‘collaborative’ and ‘discouraging’. When physicians used ‘encouraging’ and ‘collaborative’ statements, patients’ perception of the communication quality significantly improved. Using ‘discouraging’ statements had the opposite effect.

‘Encouraging’ communication included statements such as:

• “My doctor explained that the new medication would help to control my diabetes.”
• “My doctor told me that the new medication would improve my quality of life.”

‘Collaborative’ communication examples were:

• “My doctor invited me to ask questions about my new medication.”
• “My doctor helped to adjust my treatment plan so I could do it in my daily life.”

‘Discouraging’ communication included statements like:

• “My doctor told me that my diabetes is out of control.”
• “My doctor told me that I needed more medication because I had failed to take good enough care of myself.”

The analysis also looked into which statements were most frequently recalled by patients from their ‘add-on’ conversations. ‘Encouraging’ statements were recalled by up to 85 percent of patients. ‘Discouraging’ statements were recalled by up to 53 percent of patients.

“The patient data demonstrate that physicians are already doing a good job, by most often using ‘encouraging’ and ‘collaborative’ statements and using ‘discouraging’ statements less frequently. However, ‘add-on’ conversations can still be further improved to help patients make the positive behavioural changes required to manage type 2 diabetes,” concluded Dr Capehorn.

^*4,235 people with T2D, out of the total 10,319 included in the IntroDia™ Survey, met the necessary criteria to be asked about ‘add-on’ moment conversations. All 10,319 survey participants were asked about their early ‘diagnosis’ conversations.