Key Strategies for Overcoming Psychological Insulin Resistance in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: The UK Subgroup in the EMOTION Study.

Introduction: Many patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) delay initiation of insulin therapy despite healthcare professional (HCP) advice. This phenomenon has been referred to as 'psychological insulin resistance' (PIR), and various contributing factors have been identified. Studies discussing approaches to overcoming PIR are lacking.

A cross-sectional survey of general practice health workers' perceptions of their provision of culturally competent services to ethnic minority people with diabetes.

Aims: To explore General Practice teams cultural-competence, in particular, ethnicity, linguistic skillset and cultural awareness. The practice teams' access to diabetes-training, and overall perception of cultural-competence were also assessed.

Methods: A cross-sectional single-city-survey with one in three people with diabetes from an ethnic minority group, using 35 semi-structured questions was completed.

Influence of primary care practices on patients' uptake of diabetic retinopathy screening: a qualitative case study.

Background: The NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme aims to reduce the risk of sight loss among people with diabetes in England by enabling prompt diagnosis of sight-threatening retinopathy. However, the rate of screening uptake between practices can vary from 55% to 95%. Existing research focuses on the impact of patient demographics but little is known about GP practice-related factors that can make a difference.

Securing recruitment and obtaining informed consent in minority ethnic groups in the UK.

Background: Previous health research has often explicitly excluded individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds due to perceived cultural and communication difficulties, including studies where there might be language/literacy problems in obtaining informed consent. This study addressed these difficulties by developing audio-recorded methods of obtaining informed consent and recording data. This report outlines 1) our experiences with securing recruitment to a qualitative study investigating alternative methods of data collection, and 2) the development of a standardised process for obtaining informed consent from individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds whose main language does not have an agreed written form.