Healthcare professional views of a diabetes review postal box: a qualitative study
Healthcare professional views of a diabetes review postal box: a qualitative study
Background: non-attendance at diabetes appointments is common, 1–4 and associated with higher HbA1c levels, reduced medication taking, and increased complications. 1–45 Barriers to attendance are multifactorial including both logistical and psychosocial factors. 6–11 A proposed solution is the implementation of a postal diabetes annual review box enabling self-collection of blood and urine samples, and measurement of blood pressure and weight.
Aim: to explore the views of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) who are involved in the organisation or delivery of diabetes care regarding the acceptability and implementation of a postal box as part of the diabetes annual review.
Method: we conducted a qualitative study recruiting HCPs into semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Collected data were analysed using an inductive approach and following the principles of reflexive thematic analysis 12.
Results: twenty-one HCPs participated in the study. HCPs felt that a postal box could overcome many individual and service factors contributing to non-attendance. They felt the box could encourage self-management behaviours and could be used as a tool for communication. HCPs recognised that the postal box could free up time in appointments to focus on holistic care delivery without further stretching limited resources. HCPs were concerned about the possible additional administrative burden a postal box might create, and the public perception of an intervention which could reduce face-to-face care.
Conclusion: healthcare professionals seem receptive to the idea of a postal diabetes annual review box and feel it has the potential to offer people with diabetes an improved quality of care.
Diabetes mellitus type 1, Diabetes mellitus type 2, general practice
Colley, Jack
970f42c8-e72d-4a97-9063-71d84c55696f
Holt, Sian
b6977ce7-16bf-4dde-92f4-18abe85ad093
Smith, Lucy
835f8b9b-b6e0-4f5f-b6b4-a48c7913b463
Simpson, Glenn
802b50d9-aa00-4cca-9eaf-238385f8481c
Dambha‐Miller, Hajira
5b40723f-edcb-4e97-9e1a-ad3b1de40c96
Price, Hermione
2d0a0ee9-39fe-4723-92c9-bacfe2dffc94
June 2025
Colley, Jack
970f42c8-e72d-4a97-9063-71d84c55696f
Holt, Sian
b6977ce7-16bf-4dde-92f4-18abe85ad093
Smith, Lucy
835f8b9b-b6e0-4f5f-b6b4-a48c7913b463
Simpson, Glenn
802b50d9-aa00-4cca-9eaf-238385f8481c
Dambha‐Miller, Hajira
5b40723f-edcb-4e97-9e1a-ad3b1de40c96
Price, Hermione
2d0a0ee9-39fe-4723-92c9-bacfe2dffc94
Colley, Jack, Holt, Sian, Smith, Lucy, Simpson, Glenn, Dambha‐Miller, Hajira and Price, Hermione
(2025)
Healthcare professional views of a diabetes review postal box: a qualitative study.
Diabetic Medicine, 42 (6), [e70001].
(doi:10.1111/dme.70001).
Abstract
Background: non-attendance at diabetes appointments is common, 1–4 and associated with higher HbA1c levels, reduced medication taking, and increased complications. 1–45 Barriers to attendance are multifactorial including both logistical and psychosocial factors. 6–11 A proposed solution is the implementation of a postal diabetes annual review box enabling self-collection of blood and urine samples, and measurement of blood pressure and weight.
Aim: to explore the views of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) who are involved in the organisation or delivery of diabetes care regarding the acceptability and implementation of a postal box as part of the diabetes annual review.
Method: we conducted a qualitative study recruiting HCPs into semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Collected data were analysed using an inductive approach and following the principles of reflexive thematic analysis 12.
Results: twenty-one HCPs participated in the study. HCPs felt that a postal box could overcome many individual and service factors contributing to non-attendance. They felt the box could encourage self-management behaviours and could be used as a tool for communication. HCPs recognised that the postal box could free up time in appointments to focus on holistic care delivery without further stretching limited resources. HCPs were concerned about the possible additional administrative burden a postal box might create, and the public perception of an intervention which could reduce face-to-face care.
Conclusion: healthcare professionals seem receptive to the idea of a postal diabetes annual review box and feel it has the potential to offer people with diabetes an improved quality of care.
Text
DiaBox-HCP_V3.0_21.01.2025_
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Accepted/In Press date: 22 January 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 31 January 2025
Published date: June 2025
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus type 1, Diabetes mellitus type 2, general practice
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Local EPrints ID: 499464
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/499464
ISSN: 1464-5491
PURE UUID: c0fdeca6-1e62-4ced-b422-393096e18264
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Date deposited: 20 Mar 2025 18:06
Last modified: 22 Aug 2025 02:29
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Contributors
Author:
Jack Colley
Author:
Lucy Smith
Author:
Hajira Dambha‐Miller
Author:
Hermione Price
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