Hypoglycemic Agents Perceptions and Experiences of Taking

Hypoglycemic Agents

Perceptions and Experiences of Taking Oral Hypoglycemic Agents Among People of Pakistani and Indian Origin

The ailment of type 2 Diabetes is four times more prevalent among South Asians of Pakistani or Indian origin than the rest of the British population. It's effects can be extremely debilitating, including conditions such as heart disease, renal failure, stroke, amputation, and blindness. The common approaches to dealing with these problems involve daily measuring and administration of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs), which requires considerable patient responsibility. South Asian patients, however, hold beliefs which are contrary to the commonly held beliefs of Western medicine, in that drugs should be taken only when symptoms are present, and that long-term use of drugs is dangerous to the body. These preconceived notions must be recognized by the medical community of Britain, and addressed to this population in particular in order for better adoption and consistent use of OHAs.

The methodology used for this study includes single, in-depth interviews that accepts broad answers in order to best understand the mindset of the individual interviewed, which means a wide range of responses were received and little strength was applied to each question or response asked or received. This way, the study is able to incorporate responses, which may not have been anticipated before the initial interview. The study uses only 32 patients, but this number may very well be a representative sample for the Type 2 Diabetes South Asian community. The research design of the study, being entirely qualitative in nature, limits the amount of rigor that can be drawn from this study. It may be preferable now that a link between South Asian Type 2 Diabetes patients holding prejudices against Western medicine to create a quantitative study incorporating a system of scale. For example, ranking the importance of OHAs in the diabetes regimen from 1-7, ranking the respondents belief that their OHAs need to be taken exactly as prescribed from 1-7, and ranking the respondents belief that Western drugs are the absolute best option available to them while inside Britain from 1-7. With further quantitative analysis we could have seen just how strongly the respondents felt about their positions, and how the strength of their beliefs correlates to each patients own OHA practices.

The statement of findings in this study is exactly what was predicted by the researchers; that Western medical practitioners are trusted, but that Western medicine is not. Also, the prediction that South Asians held different beliefs and practices when introduced to Western medicine was proven. These individuals find that treating symptoms, rather than long-term problems, with drugs is far more common in the Indian subcontinent, and therefore these beliefs and practices were carried over to Britain. The researchers found that important further research and study is required in order to best provide South Asians with Type 2 Diabetes the proper treatment, along with the proper instructions for fulfilling their treatments.

The relevance of this study is limited due to its study of a very small subset of individuals, namely only those Indians and Pakistanis living in Britain who are currently taking OHAs to treat Type 2 Diabetes. Respondents considered OHAs to be a critical and important aspect of their diabetic regimen, and also considered British healthcare professionals to be competent doctors. Nonetheless, this study is important to the understanding of this specific minority group's behavior. The fact that South Asians are protracting Type 2 Diabetes at four times the rate of white Britons is a telling sign of the importance of this particular study to this group of individuals. The growing South Asian population in Britain will only continue to require better understanding by the entire National Health Service, and therefore this study is indeed relevant to the researchers who conducted the study. The study may even be useful beyond its limited scope of analysis, due to the fact that these commonly held notions of Western medicine among South Asians are likely to extend to any long-term drug in question, not just OHAs.