Quality of life and satisfaction with treatment in subjects with type 2 diabetes: results from primary health care in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life and degree of satisfaction with the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in primary health care in Turkey. A total of 180 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus from the Family Medicine out-patient clinic were included in the study. Participants were asked to fill out a self-report survey to collect data via two well validated scales, including the Turkish version of the Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life (ADDQoL) instrument and the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ). Overall average weighted impact score for the study group was -2.73 ± 2.56. Diabetes mellitus has the largest impact on enjoyment of food (mean ± SD impact rating: -1.63 ± 1.50). The mean score of the DTSQ was 21.02 ± 8.07 (range from better to worse: 36 to 0) for the entire group. Presence of diabetes-related complication was significantly related with lower treatment satisfaction scores (mean ± SD = 23.08 ± 7.32 without complications; mean ± SD = 18.48 ± 8.36 with complications, P = 0.003). Physicians working in primary care should be equipped with more recent knowledge of diabetes treatment in order to tailor more appropriate treatment strategies from current guidelines.