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Perceptions Of Diabetes Distress And Counseling During The Pandemic - Rural Provider Perspectives, Ranjita Misra, Brenna O. Kirk, William D. Lewis

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Introduction

West Virginia is an Appalachian rural state that ranks highest in the nation in the prevalence of diabetes (16.2%). The COVID-19 pandemic impacted routine diabetes care. As a result, individuals experienced diabetes distress over the physical and psychological burdens of diabetes management. In rural and medically underserved counties (71%), diabetes care is often provided by primary care physicians. However, healthcare providers’ perspectives on diabetes distress and related counseling to address them are unclear. This cross-sectional study’s objective was to explore healthcare providers’ (HCP) perspectives regarding their patient’s diabetes distress and how it guided their counseling for diabetes self-care during …