What We Learned

Barriers to Fair Type 2 Diabetes Management & Support

From Health System Patients 

  • Self-Management: Patients must manage their care and speak up for themselves.
  • Insurance Frustration: Patients are frustrated with insurance policies.
  • Access Issues: Where people live affects their access to care, especially in small communities.
  • Individual Profiling: Patients feel they are negatively profiled by providers.

From Health System Doctors,
Nurses, and Staff

  • External Focus: Emphasis on factors outside patients’ control.
  • Hard to Access Treatment: Patients who need it most can’t easily get treatment.
  • Telehealth Issues: Telehealth has some unintended problems.
  • Avoiding Provider Issues: Reluctance to directly address communication issues.
  • Misunderstanding Disparities: Differences are often blamed on socioeconomic status, not the health system.
  • Need for Community Monitoring: A need for monitoring efforts specific to local areas.
  • Mistrust: Growing mistrust among community patients.

Barriers to Fair Substance Use Disorder Support

From Health System Patients 

  • Not Enough Support: Worries about not getting enough help.
  • Fear of Judgement: Fear that providers will judge them.
  • Access to Care: Difficulty finding affordable, quality care.
  • Cultural Barriers: Cultural differences make getting help harder.
  • Social Determinates: Built-in negative perceptions.

 

From Health System Doctors,
Nurses, and Staff

  • Not Enough Treatment Providers: There aren’t enough treatment providers outside the system, which puts more pressure on the internal system.
  • Provider Workload: There are worries about providers having too much work.
  • Training Needs: Providers need better training to handle complex cultural needs.
  • Patient Stigma: Patients with substance use disorders often face stigma.
  • Standardized Care: There’s a need for clear, standard protocols for patient care.
  • Building Trust: There’s a need to build trust and good relationships within the community.