Abstract
The study retraces the healthcare pathway of patients affected by diabetic macular edema (DME) through the direct voice of patients and caregivers by using a “patient journey” and narrative method approach. The mapping of the patient’s journey was developed by a multidisciplinary board of health professionals and involved four Italian retina centers. DME patients on intravitreal injection therapy and caregivers were interviewed according to the narrative medicine approach. Narratives were analyzed through a quali-quantitative tool, as set by the narrative medicine method. The study involved four specialized retina centers in Italy and collected a total of 106 narratives, 82 from DME patients and 24 from caregivers. The narratives reported their difficulty in identifying the correct pathway of care because of a limited awareness of diabetes and its complications. Patients experienced reduced autonomy due to ocular complications. In the treatment of diabetes and its complications, a multidisciplinary approach currently appears to be missing. DME reduces the quality of life of affected patients. The narrative medicine approach offers qualitative and emotional patient-guided information. The patient journey provides all of those involved in the management of DME with flowcharts to refer to, identifying the critical points in the healthcare journey of DME patients to improve the management of the disease.
Subject
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Reference25 articles.
1. Global Health Estimates 2019: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000–2019. World Health Organization
https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death
2. Italian Statistical Yearbook 2020. National Institute of Statistics
http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx
3. Intraocular fluid biomarkers (liquid biopsy) in human diabetic retinopathy
4. Diabetic Retinopathy as a Cause of Blindness in the Province of Turin, North-west Italy, in 1967-1991
5. Diabetic macular edema: new concepts in patho-physiology and treatment
Cited by
2 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献