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Diabetes and Your Doctor

As someone with diabetes, you will likely need to visit your doctor and healthcare team on at least a semi-regular basis. It's essential to maintain a good relationship with your healthcare team.

Also remember that your doctor will have their own limitations and always maintain a good level of composure and self restraint.

Plan ahead of diabetes appointments

It is well worth planning ahead of an appointment what you wish to discuss and how best to get the message across. Writing down in advance what you wish to talk about can sometimes be particularly useful, especially if you sometimes find it difficult to explain things ‘on the spot’.

If what you wish to discuss is relevant to your blood glucose control, take along with you a record of your recent blood glucose test history.

How do I get more time to talk about diabetes with my doctors?

Doctors tend to be very busy and face a lot of pressure on their time. Some GPs may even have only a set amount of time they can give to each patient per appointment. If you think you’ll need more time, try to book a ‘double appointment’ but be prepared to justify why the extra time is needed.

If a double appointment is not available, pick the most important things to discuss this time round and arrange another appointment later to discuss the other matters.

Planning ahead can help you make the most of your time with the doctor. If there is more than one issue to raise, let your doctor know at the start of the appointment how many things you wish to address. This way, if there is not time to discuss all points, your doctor will likely be more willing to arrange a follow up appointment in the near future to address the remaining points.

Do your own diabetes research

Thanks to the internet, many people have the chance to read up on subjects before visiting their doctor.

Be wary of appearing to lecture your doctor though. If you feel that the advice of your doctor goes against your own diabetes research you may wish to ask them why they are recommending their line of advice.

You may not agree with their reasoning one hundred per cent but it’ll at the very least help you to better understand where your doctor is coming from.

As a basic rule of thumb, the more respect you give to your doctor, the more respect you will likely get back.

What if my doctor doesn’t seem to understand my diabetes?

No doctor is perfect. Doctors carry with them an awful lot of specialist knowledge but it’ll always be true that some doctors will understand and be able to explain diabetes better than others. It’s often worthwhile asking your doctor why they have given some advice or why they have prescribed a certain medicine or routine.

If you feel that the doctor is not able to address your problem adequately you may wish to ask if you could be referred to a specialist, such as a diabetologist (diabetic consultant), to address a particular matter. If, despite your best efforts, you and your doctor can’t see eye to eye, you can request to see a different doctor.

Keeping calm at your doctor’s appointment

Diabetes is most probably a big deal to you and if your doctor isn’t giving your condition the time or care you feel it deserves, it can be very frustrating. If you’ve waited half an hour or more to see your doctor, only to see him or her for 5 minutes it can be even more so. Accept that the outcome may not entirely meet your expectations and be ready to ask appropriate questions if things don’t go entirely the way you’d hoped.

Try to bring an open mind to the appointment. You needn’t accept everything at face value but it will help you to consider other avenues of thought. If despite your best efforts you feel that you’re not getting a reasonable level of care, there are ways in which you can make a complaint.

How can I make a complaint about the care I receive?

If you have a complaint to make, you should bring the issue up with your own healthcare provider.

Start by asking them what their complaints procedure is and follow the complaints guidelines.

It may be tempting to have a rant but a complaint that states the facts without too much hyperbole will tend to fare better.

If your care provider is unable to resolve the complaint, you can raise a formal complaint. You can advice on making a complaint from the following bodies:

  • England: Patient Advice and Liason Service (PALS)
  • Scotland: Your Local health Board
  • Wales: Your Community Health Council
  • Northern Ireland: The Patient and Client Council

If your complaint is still not resolved, you may wish to take your case to the Public Service Ombudsman.

Your Comments
 
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 6yrs ago after being borderline for a while. The day I was told the Nurse Practitioner explained everything. She gave me my blood testing kit and demonstrated it to me. She then said she would arrange appointments for me with the diabetic clinic nurse--Podiatrist for annual foot examination--diabetic eye screening annual check--Dietitian and they would be in touch by letter for all my appointments which they were. And if I felt I needed to see someone in between appointments just to ring the surgery for an appointment. The way I was treated from the beginning till the present time. I couldn't have had better care and treatment if I'd been a Private Patient. Hence the name Happy Jack.
Posted by Happy Jack, Durham on Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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If my gp talked to me like that I would put him in his place. You're there for a reason not for the fun of it. I'm a prime subject to get diabetes as my mum has it along with my sister and I'm overweight but not one of the gps in our medical center asked me if I wanted to be checked, not even when I mention it to my gp. All they did was do a blood test and that can back clear and that was that. Then on my 50th birthday I was informed I was diabetic type 2 and with all the things we need to know and do and be aware of. You might as well give me a loaded gun.
Posted by julia , London on Saturday, May 14, 2011
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Having been diagnosed with type 2 some 9 years ago, I was on diet and Metformin for 2 years. At the end of this period I had to ask for a referral to the local hospital Diabetic Clinic as I was struggling to walk with the nerve pain in my feet, (they started me on 24 hour Insulin Glargine).. Having made my appointment I presented myself to the GP at the appointed time only to be asked "Have we Met?) It appeared that he had no Knowledge of me or my condition, (but he'd been signing repeat prescriptions for 2 years) and my previous medical notes for the past 27 yrs at this practise had gone astray! I have seen the Diabetic Nurse who runs the Practice Clinic, but she says she's not qualified on insulin-using diabetics, so I don't go there anymore. For the same reasons, the local NHS podiatrist with a clinic in the town was willing to check my feet once a year but would not touch them because she also is not qualified to treat diabetic foot problems, so I don't go there anymore either. It is dissapointing to me that the local practice serving some 12-13,000 patients does not have at least one person qualified on insulin-using diabetics. Perhaps one of the veritable army of receptionists and pen pushers could go on a course and make themselves useful instead of doing everything in their power to obstruct the patients who need to see a GP. My time is just as important to me as their time and I refuse to waste my time in clinics where people just go through the motions and fill in tick boxes but nothing ever gets done, because at the end of it all they are not qualified on insulin-using diabetics. I only go to my GP when I feel it necessary or to discus blood test results etc. For anything more serious or changes to my medication or insulin regime I would ask for a referal back to the consultant at my local hospital's Diabetic Cinic where they have an excellent team of specialist nurses, consultants and a diabetic specialst podiatrist.
Posted by Phil Walker, Lancashire on Tuesday, May 10, 2011
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I have only seen my doctor for a review of my medication. Otherwise I see the nurse or consultant. I get an excellent service from both.
Posted by valeris, Diss, Norfolk on Friday, December 10, 2010
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I was diagnosed two years ago with type 2 and I must say that I feel that I have been well looked after. They make sure by letter any appointments etc that need to be made and I personally feel that my doctor and nurse are well informed. I was surprised that my annual check up, having found my blood sugar was well controlled and having lost a lot of weight, it was suggested I didn't need my blood sugar tester. This is my life-line - fortunately my doctor replaced the prescription.
Posted by Wendy Carr, Sussex on Thursday, December 09, 2010
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I want to know why doctors are so rude. I went to see my doctor and when I walked in his room he said oh here is the lady with the 1,000th illness and when I sat down he said how many you got for me this time. Of course i laughed it off but he made me feel so small like I wasn't worth anything. It's not my fault I have diabetes. Now they are moaning about the cost of things. Like I cost them too much money every year. I say let them have this illness and see how they get on with it. Doctors are a waste of time. They don't care about anyone that's ill. They just think about the money.
Posted by sexy muma, Swindon on Thursday, December 09, 2010
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