Patient needs / Patient preferences / Time cost of patients for health-related activities
Analysis of patient needs
Patient-oriented health care requires consideration of patient needs in medical decision-making processes. Compared to other chronic diseases such as cardio-vascular and respiratory diseases, people with diabetes have an elevated need for information. However, there is hardly any data on this in Germany. The identification and consideration of information needs can lead to improved information sharing and thus to improved health care for people with diabetes mellitus.
Analysis of patient preferences
Evidence-based medicine (ebM) explicitly provides for the involvement of patients and the consideration of patient preferences in medical decisions. The consideration of patient preferences should enable the practitioner to optimize treatment for different patient subgroups. Among other things, this should help to better support patients in self-management of the disease and can contribute to increased therapy adherence, thereby improving the effectiveness and efficiency of medical care.
Time cost for health-related activities
Health care utilization of medical services, self-management of diseases and the implementation of health-promoting behaviors are essential resources in maintaining and improving health. The time required can influence willingness to undergo medical treatments, because this time cannot be used for work or leisure activities. There is so far only little research into the time cost of health-related activities for people with diabetes.